


Almond Coffee

by breatheasy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Attempt at Humor, College, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Male-Female Friendship, Memories, Mutual Pining, Platonic Relationships, Post-Canon, Post-Time Skip, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28281309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breatheasy/pseuds/breatheasy
Summary: Adulthood is difficult. You have goals; you have plans; you have hopes to do it all; yet you never have enough time. But then there’s Sugawara Koushi. You would have never made it through college without your best friend always by your side. Starting adulthood after graduating wouldn’t be as colorful either without him. Days may seem repetitive and bitter at times, but having someone through it all gives it just the right amount of sweetness it needs.
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Ikejiri Hayato/Reader, Ikejiri Hayato/Sawamura Daichi, Sawamura Daichi/Reader, Sugawara Koushi/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	1. Another One

Peace. Quiet. The calm night cocooning you in your plush blankets. Absolute serenity for once. The moon pulls you away into sleep. Tucking you in and letting you rest, before the morning comes. 

* * *

_Briiiinngg! Briiiinngg!_

Huh? What’s that ringing? 

_Briiiinngg_ _!_ _Briiiinngg_ _!_ _Briiiinngg_ _!_

You bury your head into the pillow and pull your blanket overhead as you try to avoid the shrill screech of your phone in the morning. 

_BRiiiinngg_ _!_ _BRIIIInngg_ _!_ _BRIIIINNgg_ _!_

“Urrgghh” you groan, reaching your hand over to quiet that incessant buzzing. 

Silence. Ahh yes. Now back to sleep, no more of that— 

_BRIIIINNGG_ _!_ _BRIIIINNGG_ _!_ _BRIIIIIIIIINNGG_ _!_

“OHH MY—WHAT THE FUU—“ you swipe at the phone and bring it to your ear. “HELLO?!” 

“Ahahaha! You never do change, do you?” a warm chuckle fills your ears. 

“WHAT DO YOU WANT?!” you spat out in annoyance. “Do you know what time it is?!” 

“Well... do _YOU_ know what time it is?” that familiar snicker making your veins pop so early in the morning. “This is a new record, y/n-san! Haha! We FINALLY graduate today, remember?” 

“Whaa?” you scrunch up your face, still trying to process the morning. Oh, you’re wonderful first morning after your hell week full of finals. The type of morning meant for sleeping in. But no, there’s that stupid voice always ready to nag you since day one. 

And then it finally hits you: “Ohhh shii—” you pull your phone away from your ear to check the time: _09:18 AM_. “AHH!” you screech while fumbling out of your comforter, twisted all around you. And just when you’re finally free... 

_THUD._

“Bwahaha!” he chortles while grabbing onto his stomach and doubling over, knowing that it must be another one of those mornings where your face greets the floor first thing. 

“Stop laughing!” you yell, not even fazed by that regular face-plant you get whenever you rush out of bed. Scrambling off the floor, you quickly head into the bathroom and leave your phone with a cackling Suga on the other end. 

Another one of those mornings it is. 

* * *

You stand feeling jittery and anxious from your standard breakfast of black coffee as you take the subway to Tomizawa station. You look at your phone: _09:51 AM_. 

Ok, you sigh. Ten-ish minutes until the supposed 10:00 AM graduation ceremony. _That’s not too bad, right?_ You can still make it on time just walking from the station to Kamei Arena, no problem! _Shouldn’t be too difficult_ , you thought to yourself as the subway doors open and you step out onto the platform. But wait. You look down at your feet and sigh. Of course, of all days, you didn’t think to pack a pair of actual shoes you could walk in. 

“Stupid, stupid, heels. Arrghh. Why does dressing ‘nice’ have to be _this_ uncomfortable?” you mutter to yourself as you mentally calculate that typical 6-minute walk you take from the station, through Tomizawa Park, and eventually the arena. You mentally check things off in your head as you start painfully trudging down the stairs, each step making your feet writhe in agony. 

_Damn. I’m not gonna make it._

You quickly take those wretched heels and dangle one of them in each hand as you walk through the streets of Sendai, ignoring the slight chill of the pavement as you make your way barefoot to the arena. 

* * *

“Ah, shoot. Guess I lost my bet this time.” Suga chuckles seeing that you made it through the doors right on schedule (your schedule, that is—being at least a couple minutes late to everything). You check the time: _10:03 AM_ _._

“You lost? What’s with the change, huh?” you ask cynically. “Don’t you usually bet that I’d be late like always?” 

Suga eyes you mischievously. “Nope. Not today,” he says matter-of-factly. “I thought you’d want to be the first one here to get that piece of paper, called a _degree_ , so that you can rush back home and go back to sleep.” he laughs knowing how close you are to your first love (your first love— meaning your soft and dreamy bed). 

You smile, thinking how nice that would be to just go back and drift to sleep. Celebrating momentous special occasions were never really your thing, despite yearning for the end of university life with its sleepless semesters and never-ending work. “Well, I wish I could,” you shrug while putting your heels back on. “My bed has been the one single thing that’s been with me through it all!” 

Suga gapes at you, face shocked. “The _ONLY_ one who’s been there for you?” His mouth forms a small “O” shape and he clutches at his heart with such dramatic flair. You snicker at the whole ordeal. “ _Hmmph_ ” he pouts and looks away. You just know he's rolling his eyes right now and he turns back to you with a slight smile at the edge of his lips. He then proceeds to straighten out the sleeves of your graduation gown.

Suga’s always been there with you too, but of course you’ll never miss a chance to tease him. 

He takes a few cherry blossom petals off your head as you try and brush up from your hectic morning. “I bet you walked around dazed in thought again even though you were trying to hurry,” he teased. Years of college have taught him how easily distracted you get. It’s the type of absent-mindedness where you might be solely focused doing one thing, and yet you have a radar for shiny objects that take away all of your attention in a snap. 

“Well come on, you’re late enough as it is.” He grabs your wrist leading you like a lost child to find your spots in line next to the other graduates. 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever, _m_ _om_.” You stick out your tongue at him, glaring into the back of his head as he drags you through the crowd. 

How funny is it that your best friend throughout college still feels the need to berate you for every little thing. There’s almost never a time where you listen to anyone’s nagging (not even your own mom’s), but you guess it’s entertaining enough when it comes from your seemingly pleasant (yet snarky) silver-haired friend. 

* * *

Before you knew it, the commencement was over. You walk out of the arena with your friends and family in tow—everyone congratulating you and starting a frenzy of photoshoots with the new grad. The sun is so high, cloudless sky so blue. No wonder you got distracted by it on your walk earlier. You squint ahead, trying to smile at all the cameras. Seeing the yearly pink petals gently fall always marks a new beginning. This time, it’s you standing in front of this arena. Dressed in your cap and gown, ready to greet the whole world with both hands, saying: _You have a college degree! You made it! You’re finally ready for the real world!_

You close your eyes, savoring that moment with a smile on your face. Someone nudges you on the side and you look over. “You’re supposed to open your eyes for the camera, you idiot.” Those warm hazel eyes always ready to annoy you. You flash a rare smile so big, eyes glittering, it catches Suga by surprise. His eyebrows scrunch together in slight confusion despite the simultaneous smile reaching his face. 

You turn your head back to the cameras and reply obnoxiously with a “Yes. Got it. Shut up. Stop bugging me,” and he just chuckles alongside with you. His familiar laughter filling the air and ringing in your ears, just like how he’s always been these past four years. 

_Click!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello world! First Haikyuu!! fic, and I'm excited! I never thought I'd get into writing again, but I guess can't be separated from one of my first-loves. Thanks for visiting!


	2. Prelude Of Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graduations make you reminiscent, and you look back to the day where it all started.

The birds seem to be chirping quite loudly today. Almost like they’re chatting with one another. Jumping from branch to branch, babbling about the looming stormy skies. It'd be a shame if it rained right away while you’re on your run. Arms pumping at your sides, you attempt to push your limits today and see the clouds slowly graying. One by one, they line up next to each other, filling up your field of view as you continue on your trek. 

It’s a Sunday morning and you decided to test out your new running path. It started at the training rooms of your new college campus; you made sure to stretch to avoid injury; ran the bridge across Hirose River; passed the Tomizawa Museum; and finally, you end right at Kamei Arena just like you anticipated. 

_Nice! 4.5 km and you don’t feel like dying yet!_

Hah. Well, that’s a bit of an overstatement. You haven't collapsed to the ground, but you _definitely_ are heaving and hunched over, struggling to catch your breath. You sit down at the steps of the arena and check your watch: _10:32 AM_ _._

_Okay, so if I take my 10-minute break here, then run back to campus, take my bike, and head back home to make lunch, that should give me enough time to get a start on my project before 1 PM!_

You smile to yourself, proud that you managed to wake up early today to be productive—it’s your first weekend of college after all, and you figured that you ought to start strong. You continue to mentally strategize what the rest of the weekend should look like, and suddenly, a fat drop of water falls _smack!_ Right on top of your head. And then another one, and another one. One after the other, barrels of rainfall pierce through the sky and cloud your vision. 

_Damn. The one day I try to be well-thought out for once, and I didn’t even bother to check the weather!_

You mentally curse yourself as you decide to take cover inside the arena. It seems fairly quiet as you open the doors and step inside—no one milling about in the long hallways. Hallways with weird art on the walls, like that round copper-faced thing blankly staring as you pass by. You keep walking around, figuring that you might as well wander about while waiting for the storm to die down. 

And then you hear the familiar squeaks of running shoes and people loudly yelling— wait, no. _Laughing, maybe?_ It seems more like people guffawing noisily as you approach one of the gym’s doors. _Hmm, maybe there’s a game going on?_ You peer inside, curious about the roaring laughter echoing off the walls, and you see some people down by the volleyball courts set up. 

“BWAHAHAHA! Good one, good one. I remember that!” a raven-haired guy chortles while wiping a tear from his eye. 

Another man shakes in laughter and throws his head back, revealing his long chestnut brown hair. “Ahahaha, do you remember the times when Noya-san would roll around on the ground and go...” 

“ROLLLLLINNGG... THUNDEEEERR!!” another yell comes out of nowhere, and you spot a silver-haired figure tumbling across the floor and landing on his back. He bellows out in laughter filling the air around him and making the vast gym feel a little bit smaller. You giggle a little, confused as to what chaotic scene you just walked into. 

“BWAHAHAHA!” the trio of misfits continue howling in amusement. A bunch of silly guys, without a care in the world and unaware of your presence in the stands. Such infectious laughter, you can’t help but chuckle with them, until you suddenly find yourself eye-to-eye with the silver-haired one as he sits up. 

“Hah. Looks like we got caught, guys.” he tilts his head in your direction, gesturing to the two others to look up into the stands. They catch sight of you, and you quickly purse your lips, feeling a little shy joining in on the merriment. 

_Oh dear, I think I have to say ‘hi’ now._ _Hmmm, maybe I can still run for it? But wait, it’s pouring outside. Yikes, okay. Next plan. Hmm... Ahh gosh, maybe I can—_

You go through this whole internal dialogue that you usually do to avoid meeting new people, and as always, you lose track of your surroundings and find yourself face to face with three towering figures just a few feet away from you. 

You look up a little startled, “Uhhh... hii” you give a slight wave and an awkward smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude...” 

“Ah no, no. It’s fine!” the silver-haired guy chuckles and waves it off like it’s no big deal. 

“We’re the ones who should say sorry for intruding,” the raven-haired, responsible-looking one gives a slight bow to you. 

“Oh! No, no. It’s really nothing!” you squeak embarrassed by the unnecessary apology. “I was just walking around and peeked in when I heard all the laughing. I didn’t mean to barge in on all of you.” 

“Oh, don’t worry about it! My name’s Sugawara, Koushi.” the friendly, silver-haired guy beams at you while stretching a hand out. 

His warm smile melts away some of your anxiousness, “Hi, I’m y/n.” you reply and shake his hand. 

“Sawamura, Daichi.” the cute, raven-haired one says while waving at you. 

“Uhh... hello! Um, I’m Azumane, Asahi.” the tall, brown-haired man mumbles out and quickly looks away. 

You give a little smile, seeing that you’re not the only one who’s a bit nervous. “Nice to meet all of you,” you reply. A slight awkward pause ensues. “Well, um... I should probably get going. I wouldn’t want to intrude any further—” 

“Sooo...” Suga starts, “You didn’t want to get caught sneaking into the arena too, huh? _Tsk, tsk, tsk_.” he shakes his head disapprovingly and looks at you with mischievous eyes glinting. 

“WHAT?” you exclaim in denial and make an annoyed face at him. Suga looks at you, eyes wide and a little surprised. “The doors were unlocked, so _no_. Of course, I’m not breaking and entering!” 

Instantly, you regret the sudden outburst and cover your mouth. Your eyes grow wide and your cheeks start to flush. _Damn it._ You bite your tongue and mentally swear at your short-tempered self. Here you are feeling nervous around new people just a second ago, but _of course_ the moment someone accuses you, you snap. 

“AHAHAHAHA!” Suga doubles over and shakes his head in laughter. Your eyebrows raise, feeling a little puzzled. “You’re a funny one, y/n-san! Didn’t think you’d get so defensive right away! Hahaha!” 

“Suga.” Daichi says sternly, “Stop messing with people you just met.” Suga continues guffawing, and you feel the embarrassing warmth of your cheeks. “Gosh, how are we supposed to leave you at college if you’re like that?” Daichi looks at you, eyes apologizing for his friend. 

Asahi whispers, “Shhh... Suga, cut it out.” 

The two continue scolding Suga: Daichi acting like a strict dad and Asahi chiding him to stop laughing while glancing at you back and forth, looking distressed. After watching the continued chaos for a few more seconds, a sudden snicker escapes your lips, and it eventually grows into a full belly laugh. They turn their heads toward you, confused, and you quickly try to compose yourself. 

“There’s no need to apologize, it’s really okay,” you snicker one more time. “I should be the one saying sorry. Didn’t mean to snap at you, Sugawara-san. I uhh... I guess I get a little defensive sometimes,” you shrug and look away. 

Taken aback by the outright honesty from a stranger, Suga’s expression softens and he smiles. You give him a hint of a smile back. You may have just met these people, but there's something about them that makes you feel so comfortable already despite being the outsider to their little friend group. 

* * *

“So college, huh? Where do you all go?” you ask as you all walk out of the arena. The gray clouds are now finally back to their fluffy selves as they part and let some sunshine into view. 

“Oh, I go to the Miyagi police academy nearby.” Daichi replies. 

“I’m over at Tohoku Gakuin University, just down the road.” Suga mentions. Your eyebrows immediately shoot up. 

“I go to a Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo.” Asahi says politely. 

“Wow, what a range!” you start to wonder how these three could all be best friends despite such different interests. “So, you go to Tohoku Gakuin too, Sugawara-san? What are you majoring in?” 

Suga’s eyes gleam, “Oh! You go there too? I’m majoring within the Department of Education! What about you?” 

“Department of General Humanities.” 

“Ooohh you hear that? You hear that,” Suga elbows the two. “I’m making friends already! What were you two worried about?” 

Daichi and Asahi glance at each other, shaking their heads as you all continue walking to the metro station. 

“Yeah, uh huh. Like y/n-san actually said ‘yes’ to being friends with you,” Daichi starts. 

“You can tell Suga ‘no thanks’, you know?” Asahi adds, side-whispering to you. 

Suga playfully punches one of Asahi’s ribs, “HEEYY! Don’t influence her!” Asahi winces. 

Daichi glares at Suga, and Suga just looks away and starts whistling mindlessly, trying to avert his gaze. Meanwhile, Asahi massages his side while looking down and pouting. You can’t help but chuckle. 

_Wow, what a trio of misfits they really are_. 

Soon enough, you start to forget the strict schedule you planned for the day as you chat away with some newfound friends. 

* * *

The four of you get to the station, and you find out that Daichi and Asahi were planning to board the train home after visiting Suga for the weekend. 

Daichi turns over to you, “Now, y/n-san, we hate to leave Suga with you”—Suga overhears and yells “ _HEEYYY!”_ ready to pounce on Daichi if it weren’t for Asahi holding him back— “but you seem like someone who can handle him fine.” he smirks. 

You raise one eyebrow and give Daichi a sly smile. “Gosh,” you sigh so loudly and act as animatedly as possible, “what am I going to do?! He’s gonna be a handful, isn’t he?” you smack the side of your head, feigning distress. 

Suga stares at you in shock, _“Heeeyy.. How could_ _yo_ —” 

“He _definitely_ will be. You’re doing us a public service, y/n-san.” Daichi salutes and bows to you— acting all police officer-like. You snort and chuckle while Asahi guffaws right next to you. Daichi joins in, leaving a slack-jawed Suga starting to look annoyed. 

“Well, officer. Since I’ll be keeping tabs on him, I might need your number to report any shenanigans he pulls.” 

Daichi stops mid-laugh, cheeks slightly pink, and he looks at you all confused, “Huh?” 

You, Suga and Asahi turn to each other, and they see the obvious mischief in your eyes. 

“AHAHAHAHA!!” the three of you all erupt hysterically, seeing the poor befuddled Daichi. You amaze yourself with how smooth that line came out and how easy it was to just laugh uncontrollably with people you just met. 

_We must be friends from a previous lifetime,_ you thought to yourself. You’re not usually one who makes friends easily, so you’re thankful for the surprises this day brings. 

The merriment continues until you hear the announcement for the subway coming, signaling the time to part ways. Daichi and Asahi give one last round of goodbyes before stepping in, and they turn to look at you and Suga, giving one final wave as the doors shut. You raise your hand giving a shy wave back. The subway starts to take off and slowly rattles away. It’s just you and Suga now. You look over and see his wistful face still staring at the tunnel. 

Sensing the cheeriness in the air dying down, you slightly pat his shoulder as though you were comforting a lost child, “Hey, it’s going to be okay! Your boyfriends will come back soon, don’t worry!” 

Suga turns his head slowly and stares at you with disapproval. “Yeah, they better be.” he looks you up and down, “I can tell that _you're_ the actual one who’s going to be a handful.”

You shrug your shoulders and start walking away, a slow smile tugging at your mouth, “ _Whatever.”_ you say as you turn your head back to look at him. 

Suga locks eyes with you and a soft smile starts to paint his face. He makes his way over and gives one last look back at the tunnel before walking alongside with you leaving the station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m progressively testing out how long my chapters should be, so this one’s a little longer than the first. Hope you enjoyed this attempt at a flashback story!


	3. Running Through Daffodils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s a saying that goes: “If you want to run fast, run alone. If you want to run far, run together.” You always try to remind yourself about that.

_Click!_

After one last round of photos, your family finally seemed satisfied enough with their impromptu graduation photoshoot. Your jaw was practically frozen in place with its hinges creaking as you try to relax your cheeks _(who knew_ _you could_ _severely_ _tire out your_ _facial muscles_ _?)_ . You can’t blame them though. Celebrating their only child’s pursuit of higher education _is_ a big deal—especially because you actually (barely) survived it. It was honestly such a surprise that you made it through in one piece after that death-defying marathon called ‘college’. 

* * *

College. What a race it was from start to finish. 

If you were a long-distance runner, you’d know that maintaining a manageable pace throughout your run is key. But you’re a sprinter at heart. The only technique you try to improve on is your acceleration. _How fast can I get my work done?_ _How should I strategize and allocate my time? How could I do this better? faster? more productively?_

The race never truly ends. The farther you go, the more productive you seem to be, the louder the craving becomes. That craving for: _Speed. Efficiency. Results._ You end up going farther and farther on this “journey of growth,” when really it seems you’re becoming the author of _How to Be A Workaholic 101_. 

You’re addicted to it. _Results_. As though it’s the only thing that matters to you. That’s why you skipped a grade and became the youngest one in class. That’s why you slaved over cram school to get into university. That’s why the only priority you had (or tried to have) was to quickly graduate from college without getting distracted. You were running your sprint, and you had a great head start. But then... you also ran right into a wall. 

When did the rich smell of coffee—a scent you used to love—start to turn into poisonous fumes you inhale to stay awake and study? When did college—an exciting new adventure—start to turn into a ravenous sea tempting you to sink? 

_Why do you just keep on falling over?_

It's hard to pinpoint the days that added up to your current burnt-out state. Sometimes, you try to give yourself a little debrief to pinpoint what went wrong. But then, you can’t recall anything. It’s like you blocked out all the stressful memories you were going through, and your brain simply won’t tell you what you could’ve done right. 

Good thing there are people in your life who can tell you when you’re dancing on the edge of sanity. 

Here’s a list: 

Number One: _Azumane_ _, Asahi._ The big teddybear of your support system. Moments with Asahi were few, but they always left you feeling cared for and content with life. He’s the type of friend who’d come back to Miyagi every semester break to catch up and hang out with the group. Always the shy one when it came to new things, but he eventually blossomed into the confident artist he is now with his trendy fashion creations. You remember the day he went shopping with you one winter break: 

_“Asahi-san! These two look good together right?” you ask holding up a long-sleeved cream-colored blouse and some_ _flowy_ _pants in mustard yellow._

_“Hmmm, I’m not sure if mustard’s your color. How about this one?” he holds up the same pants but in olive green. “I think earthier tones suit you more than these bright ones. Plus, they’ll give you more of a relaxed look!”_

_“Relaxed look? I’m buying this for my internship next semester. I don’t want to look too relaxed.”_

_“Haha, but that’s the thing though.” he grabs the back of his neck, “you already bring such intensity to your work, I think it would be a nice balance, you know?”_

_You tilt your head_ _,_ _intrigued that he noticed that side of you._

_Asahi’s eyes widen, suddenly flustered, “Oh! Uh... not to say that you should tame your fashion sense down for the sake of others. No, no. You should definitely wear whatever you want! I just think you’d maybe also want to try looking more approachable with the slightly muted tones and_ _uhh_ _...”_

_Your eyes filled with warmth knowing that a friend notices the small things about you,_ _“Thanks Asahi. Y_ _ou make a good point—_ _I don’t want to come off too strong right away in front of new people, and yellow’s not really my color anyway.”_

_Asahi relaxes the strained lines of distress on his face and exhales in relief._

_“And thank you too. For pointing that out. My vibes must be screaming ‘workaholic’ right now. Like fuck! It’s winter break, and I could be choosing to shop for something else. Or better yet, I should just be sleeping my days off!” you groan at your lack of ability to rest. “But truly though. Thank you. It’s always good to be reminded of that.”_

_“Hey. Don’t beat yourself up_ _over it...” he forms his words carefully, “_ _I think_ _..._ _all of us college students feel like that’s the_ _right_ _way to be a student_ _... workaholic and all_ _,” he rolls his eyes at that unhealthy_ _, yet society-ingrained persona._ _“Even though it’s_ _definitely_ _not.”_

Yep. He was (and still _is_ ) right about that. Overworking yourself just for the sake of getting some glorified piece of paper at the end? Nope. Not worth it. It’s not worth the astronomical lack of sleep and occasional slips of sanity along the way. 

You snap back from your reverie and continue on with your list of heartwarming humans. 

Next, you’ve got: 

Number Two: _Sawamura_ _, Daichi_. The dependable buoy you search for when the raging waters pull you apart. Too nice and too righteous, and thus, too worrisome. You worry because you feel like he’ll freely lend his lifesaver-ring-of-a-personality to just about anyone. That dumb dork. He comes around often and visits you and Suga on the weekends. It became a routine of sorts: Daichi comes on Saturdays, picks up snacks, and then hangs around the two of you for the afternoon, even when you elect to do a much-needed study session (well, technically you _always_ choose to slave away with your schoolwork, but Daichi comes anyway). He’ll always be there. Like during that one time when you were frantically studying for finals in your usual coffee spot: 

_It was a rainy afternoon. The droplets scattering_ _about on the window pane of your_ _favorite_ _corner of the café._ _Pen in your mouth, hair haphazardly tied in a low bun with some fly-away strands lining the sides of your face. You had your notes clutched in one hand while the other scans a book, fingers tracing the page. Your eyes trying to take in all the information, making you look like a mad category 4 typhoon. The type where wild winds seem to be pulling you back and forth between all your notes and books that lie scattered on the table. You don’t even notice when Daichi pulls a chair right next to you._

_He stares into your stormy eyes for a minute, debating whether he should bother you while you’re so focused. He’s always admired that about you. Your strong-willed, firecracker charisma. In his eyes, you radiated strength and independence throughout everything that you do, and it gave him that exhilarating feeling of wanting to do the same. Daichi worries about you, though. Sometimes_ _he thinks_ _you_ _could be_ _too strong-willed that you forget about your own health._

_Your stomach growls a guttural sound, and you hardly even notice. You continue with the paragraph you’ve been analyzing and decide that you’ll keep on going until you get this page done, but then someone clears their throat right next to you._

_“And that’s my cue!” Daichi grins while dangling a plastic bag in front of you, “Need some food?”_

_You turn your head, eyes wide “When did you get here?”_

_“I’ve got some_ _onigiri_ _, chips, a few pork buns,” he rambles while looking through the contents of the bag._

_A soft smile washes over you, “You’re a lifesaver. Thank you, Daichi-san.” you reach into the bag and_ _choose_ _an_ _onigiri_ _knowing that_ _Suga_ _and Daichi will probably feast on the_ _only_ _two pork buns inside. “Do you know when_ _Suga-san_ _is coming?”_

_“Oh, he didn’t tell you_ _?_ _They're a little short-staffed today, apparently. He picked up a shift.”_

_“Oh! Well in that case...” you grab_ _one of the_ _pork_ _buns_ _, “What are you doing here?”_

_A flitter of worry settles into his brow_ _._ _Why did he come?_ _Daichi_ _thinks to himself. He’s doesn't remember spending time_ _with_ _you without_ _Suga_ _before, but he was weirdly excited to see you today_ _._ _“Well, if you want me to go...”_ _he_ _starts to rise from his chair_ _._

_“No, no. That’s not what I meant! Sorry.” you grab his wrist. “I assume you mostly come because you want to hang around_ _Suga-san_ _. Not me.”_

_“_ _Why wouldn’t I?_ _”_ _his soft_ _, woodsy brown eyes_ _meet yours. “I mean, I come around practically every weekend_ _. I wouldn’t stop just cause_ _Suga's not_ _here_ _.”_

_So he would come anyway, huh?_ _The thought warms_ _you up a bit, bringing a_ _gent_ _le smile_ _to your features,_ _“Thanks, Daichi-san_ _.”_

He definitely is the reliable type. Anyone who brings you food while you’re in the trenches of exam season is a friend you keep close-by, and Daichi always seems to be there to look out for you. A constant presence that keeps you moving forward.

You smile at the memory, thinking how lucky you are to have met some dependable humans who are always by your side.

And of course, the most constant (bothersome) one of all. The one who’s stuck to you like a door that’s' jammed shut and you can’t escape his annoying-ass face. 

You’re last, and _definitely_ least, favorite human: 

Number Three: _Sugawara_ _,_ _Koushi_. How should you explain him? He evokes “Caring mom/Godzilla-on-crack" vibes all-in-one. Whether it’s compassionate or chaotic, you don’t know until you see him. What a complete enigma he is. Suga's the moron you're unfortunately stuck with, since you attend the same college. Sometimes you wish he wasn’t the studious type so that that you'd get your peaceful alone time while you do your favorite (dreaded) pastime: _studying_. But you also can’t deny that you would have a more difficult time in school without that aggravating idiot. You look back to the usual mental wreck you tended to be one afternoon: 

_The blinds of your_ _apartment_ _window are drawn shut. You do it to rid yourself of any inviting view outside, yet streams of sunlight still fought their way through. Sitting at your desk hunched over, you have your black hoodie drawn tight while staring at your laptop. A blue glow casting over your face and highlighting the black circles underneath your eyes. I_ _f you look close enough,_ _your hand slightly shakes from the caffeine of your third cup of black-ass bean-water (in other words: coffee)._

 _You were at your limit, and you knew it. _ _But you just had to keep on pushing._ _Your paper wasn’t going to write itself after all._

_Department of General Humanities. Your goal: to be a civil servant._ _You just knew you wanted to make a difference_ _somewhere—wherever that may be._ _This feels like the right path for you, because you wanted to make change and do good in society (and get a stable job with decent pay). But... it nags at you. That thought. The one that tells you that you should be wholeheartedly_ ** _‘_** _passionate ’_ _about your career._ ** _‘_** _Passionate ’_ _about your life choices._

_The thought of it just makes you sigh._

_Your focus comes back to your blank screen— that blinking cursor also staring back at you waiting for your next string of words. Your brain was awake, but your mind just feels rattled after pulling a few all-nighters just a few days ago._

_Why_ _on earth are things not working anymore?!_

_You internally scream at yourself and crash your head_ _on_ _the table_ _. The impact of your forehead against the wooden grain feels numb—the insides of your head continue spinning in all directions. You close your eyes feeling the weight of your lids give in._

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock._

_Your eyes slightly flutter open, and you raise your head at the noise._

_Knock, knock, knock! “Y/n-san..._ _heelllloooo_ _?”_

_The recognition of your name was enough to get you up from your chair and head to your apartment door. Barely registering what’s happening, you already start turning the knob. Eyelids fluttering a few more times, you don’t even recognize who’s standing in front of you. All you see is a faded blue t-shirt on some human who came to visit._

_“Uhh..._ _heelllloooo_ _?” The human says while waving a hand in front of your face. “Oh gosh, you’re more dead than I thought.” Said human starts turning you around by the shoulders and walks you to your couch where you plop down still dazed. A few seconds later your hands suddenly find a mug and the words “Come on, drink some water now.” find your sleepy mind._

_You sit and stare at the mug for a few seconds. Clearly, you’re still asleep despite your eyes being open, and Suga sighs. He places a hand over yours and guides the mug to your lips. You take a sip, and you must be awake enough to do that instead of choking on the water. After a few more sips, the fog in your head starts to clear, and you widen your eyes at the mug you’ve been drinking from and look around. Suga’s face comes into view, and your shoulders relax a little._

_“You know, if I was some_ _rando_ _creep you just freely let into your apartment, you could’ve died. Didn’t your parents teach you not to answer the door when you're half asleep?”_

_“Uhh... well, I don’t really know what I’m doing when I’m half asleep.”_

_Suga_ _looks at you dead-on with a scowl, “How are you still alive?”_

_“Magic?” you shrug._

_He flicks your forehead and scoffs._

_“Oi!” you rub at your forehead and glare at_ _Suga_ _. Holding your mug, you swing your hand back and threaten to splash him with the water inside. He quickly grabs a throw pillow and covers his annoying face behind it, chuckling._

_Sigh._

_The clock reads 2:32 PM. You glance at the blackened screen of your laptop, a result of your unplanned power nap. You figured you should start writing again. You start to get up and head to the desk, but Suga’s hand shoots straight out in front of you._

_“Woah, woah,_ _woah_ _. You.” he points “Stop.”_

_An irritated look crosses your features._

_“When did you have lunch?” you start opening your mouth to respond, but he cuts you off. “And no, coffee does not count. When did you have actual food?”_

_“I don’t know. It hasn’t been too long ago. I had lunch at like... 9? 10?”_

_“What kind of lunch time is that? Stupid. You pulling another all-nighter again? You really_ _ar_ _—”_

_“_ _Noooo..._ _I slept a full 6 hours actually. Aren’t you proud?” _

_Suga_ _puts his displeased face on, “Why am I friends with someone who thinks that waking up at 3 AM is normal?”_

_You stick your tongue out and start getting off the couch again. It’s not your fault your sleeping schedule’s been whack! (well, maybe it might be, but you’re not going to admit that right now)._

_Suga doesn’t let you move an inch. He stands in front of you this time, arms crossed and disapproving face still on._

_“No work. You need to eat.”_

_“But I don’t feel hungry! I—”_

_“No. Your body just doesn’t know that it’s hungry cause you sleep at such weird times. Get up,” he steps aside. “We’re heading out to eat too. You need some sunlight.”_

_He begins to walk to your window and you were too slow to realize that the stings of ultraviolet are about to infiltrate your cozy, dim-lighted room._

_“Ahhh, no wait!”_

_He grabs onto the blinds and turns back to smirk at you. “Hehe.”_ _he sticks his tongue out and_ _pulls_ _the blinds_ _open_ _. Out came_ _sudden flares of light that make you recoil backwards into the couch. You groan loudly, vulgarity filling the air, as you were hit by that sudden stun attack leaving you paralyzed._

* * *

Beams of sunlight threaten to blind you as you stare back up at the glassy cerulean skies. Blossom pink petals wisp through the air. The stone concrete feeling cool to the touch, as you stand barefoot again. You thought you’d be able to handle a two-hour ceremony with those 3-inch devils disguised as footwear, but you admitted defeat. No surprise there. There have been way too many times college made you want to admit defeat, but you didn’t let that stop you. 

“Congrats y/n-san! You made it!!” a warm hug engulfs you from the front, and you didn’t see it coming (as usual). Daichi pulls back grinning from ear to ear. 

“Congratulations y/n-san! Suga!” Asahi hands both of you a bouquet, his sunny smile beaming. 

“Thank you!” you gush. 

“Wooo!! We did it!” Suga wraps his arms around all three of you in a giant bear hug, jumping up and down. And you can’t help but giggle feeling all the warmth of your three favorite humans huddling you close. 

Finally, the race is over. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like such an irresponsible writer, haha. I have a basic structure of the chapter, but then it goes haywire all the time! I guess I should just trust the process (or lack thereof).


	4. Changes Are Brimming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is always shifting. Always transitioning. There's no breaks in between, and you have to keep on going. But how do you keep on going?

Finally, the race is over. 

* * *

When one race is over, another one begins sooner than you think. Unfortunately. 

Civil servant exam season: what an arduous process. You’re glad that you’re finally at the end of the tunnel after you get through this last exam. Standing in the long hallway near the bathrooms of the test center, you take a last-minute run through over your notes to calm down. You fixate your eyes on the sheet of paper in your hand and try to engross yourself to the messy scrawl of words. It’s all in an effort to dampen that test anxiety that keeps on nipping at your ears. Every single thing around you blurs into the background. 

_Breathe in, breathe out... Breathe in, breathe out...._

You check your watch and see that it’s time to get going. 

_Breathe in, breathe out...._

_Okay, I can do this! Just one more exam to go, and I_ _will_ _pass this one! No problem! (I mean, there might be problems… but, I can’t worry about that right now! I know I can get through them!)_

 _You’ve got this!_

A satisfied exhale leaves your lips, and you quickly start to turn your heel to head back to the testing room, but then... 

_Smack!_

You run right into someone’s back, causing some of the papers in your hand to flutter to the ground. Your forehead starts to throb a little. 

_How typical. It would be a weird day if you didn’t run into something._

“Fuck. Ow. I’m sorry!” 

The figure turns around and sees your scattered mess on the ground. He bends down to pick up the sheets and looks back up, seeing you rub your forehead in pain with a disgruntled look. 

“Don’t worry about it!” he continues picking up the papers and you crouch down to help. 

“You don’t have to pick this up, I’m sorry.” 

“It’s nothing really!” he looks at you with his brown eyes and a sprinkle of freckles across his cheeks. 

You finish gathering the last of your notes and the ruffled-haired stranger hands you the rest. 

“So, you’re taking the civil servant exam today too, huh?” 

“Ugh, yeah. One more to go.” you groan. 

The copper brown-haired man nods in agreement, “Yep. One more and it’s finally done!” 

You meet his eyes and offer a faint, polite smile. “Well, good luck. And thanks for helping me clean up,” you wave your notes in one hand. 

“No problem.” he offers back a carefree smile. His freckles rising along with his cheeks. 

_Well, doesn’t he seem sprightly before a test?_

He continues to grin, “And thank you. Good luck to you too!” 

You wave goodbye, notes still in your hand, and you go back to scanning the scribbles of information one last time as you walk back to the testing room. 

* * *

If someone could choose an animal to describe you after that horrendous exam, they’d call you a sloth. A real dopey-looking one. You tiredly walk out of the testing room, kneading the tension behind your neck as you trudge through the long hallway. 

You heave out a big sigh of relief. _Well, at least it’s over now._

You take out your phone and mindlessly scroll through your notifications as you slowly plod one foot after the other. It takes tremendous energy to drag your feet across the tiles. A growing chatter slowly fills your ears as you start to turn the corner, and you see a text from Suga go through. You’re about to open it to see what the idiot has sent you this time, when unexpectedly, a familiar voice reaches your ears. 

“Y/n-san! You made it! How’d the test go?” 

Your sloth-like face looks up in slow-motion, clearly still brain-dead from that debacle, and you see Daichi looking as animated as ever. 

“Daichi-san...?” 

Daichi continues to sport a wide grin, and you notice that he seems to be talking to another figure with their back facing you. 

_That looks like a familiar back,_ you thought to yourself. 

That familiar back starts to turn and face you, and you slowly recognize the ruffled, copper brown hair you saw earlier. 

_Daichi-san knows ruffled-haired man?_

A beam of recognition spreads across his freckled face, “Oh, it’s you! Hi again!” 

“Uhh... hi!” you raise an awkward hand up, barely making an effort to wave. “Wait...” you point from Daichi to the ruffled-haired stranger, “you two know each other?” 

Daichi's eyebrows rose in surprise, “Y/n-san, you know Ikejiri?” 

Ruffled-haired man interjects, “Yeah! We met a few hours ago by the bathrooms!” 

“Huh? The bathrooms?” 

“Uh, it’s nothing Daichi-san. I just bumped into him. Like, literally bumped into him,” you shrug. “You know...typical me who likes to run into stuff.” 

“I’m Hayato, Ikejiri by the way. Nice to meet you!” ruffled-haired man doesn’t miss a beat. 

“Thanks. Uh, my name’s y/n. Nice to meet you too.” you drawl out, still brain-dead from that exam. “So, how do you two know each other again?” 

“Ikejiri and I were in the volleyball club together in middle school!” Daichi proudly gleams. 

“Yeah! And then we eventually went against them in high school! Man, do you remember that? Karasuno totally pummeled us” 

“Heyy. It was a good game.” 

“Good game?” Ikejiri snorts, “yeah right. It was a fun team, though. I practically...” 

Your attention span is at a negative sixty-five right now, so you just stare at the enthusiastic exchange between the two. They continue reminiscing for a while, and you don’t want to look rude, but you sneak a glance at your phone and see another incoming message from Suga: 

_“_ _YOOOOOO_ _. Where r u at? I’m almost there!”_

You squint and check the time on your phone. Oh right. You agreed to lunch with Suga who is graciously (rightfully) treating you for all your hard work, since you did the same for him last week when he finished his teacher qualification exam. He practically whined to you last time that he deserved a free meal. 

* * *

_You look up from your food and spot a wild_ _Suga_ _trying to charm you with unsuccessful puppy-dog eyes._

_“No.”_

_“Awww, come on! I made you food_ _all_ _the time throughout college!”_

_“_ _WE_ _made food all the time.”_

_“Your meal-prepping doesn’t count for anything,” he shakes his head disapprovingly. “I’m the one who actually put stuff together and cooked.”_

_Your eyes flash menacingly at him. “You would_ _NOT_ _have anything to cook if I didn’t do all the chopping and slicing.”_

_He looks into your eyes again, puppy-dog pouting one more time. “_ _Pleeease_ _? Consider it a ‘_ _Congratulations-for-not-dying-today_ _!’ present.”_

_His stupid poop-brown eyes bore into yours, and you just can’t stand him! This idiot will whine all day if given the_ _chance_ _, so you swipe the check and start to get up from your booth to pay._

_“Thank you y/n-chan!” he chimes after you gleefully._

_You roll your eyes, annoyed, and glance at him before leaving the table. A smug look crosses his face when his eyes meet yours and you glare at him. “You owe me.”_

_He avoids your gaze and tries to pick up the bits of rice in his bowl (which are basically non-existent at this point, since he finished his meal minutes ago)._

_You huff and turn away._

* * *

“Y/n-san?” Daichi places a hand on your shoulder. 

You look up from your phone, embarrassed you got caught being anti-social. 

“You ready to go eat?” Daichi asks. 

“How do you know...?” 

“Suga told me, and I happened to be free! I told him I’d pick you up. Didn’t you see my text earlier?” 

You look back down to your phone, “Oh, uh. I guess I wasn’t paying attention.” 

His eyes soften and he chuckles while ruffling your hair. “Well, I'm glad I caught you before you left.” 

“Where’s Ike...um, Ikeda-san?” 

“Ikejiri? Oh, he had to run somewhere. He tried saying goodbye to you, but you were in your ‘staring-into-space' mode.” he snickers. “It’s okay though. I told him you must be tired from the exam.” 

You blinked. 

Daichi notices how deep your eyebags are today. “Okay, okay, come on.” he grabs you by the shoulders with both hands, guiding you forward. “We should get some food into you.” 

The two of you start walking and you mention how Suga’s probably already there. Daichi’s eyes went round, and he starts to quicken his pace. He’s worried you’ll fall over, so he walks right next to you, shoulders brushing yours. You don’t take notice at all as you walk mindlessly and start to daydream about food. 

* * *

The two of you walk briskly through the streets of Sendai. The humidity in the air slowly transitioning into summertime. Thankfully, the restaurant you’re meeting Suga at is not too far from the testing center. 

After a couple blocks of walking while daydreaming about all the food you’re going to stuff yourself with, it leaves you a little more energized. Daichi notices and figures he doesn’t have to walk so close to you anymore since you didn’t look like you were going to fall over anytime soon. He feels the warmth between the two of you slowly leave as he inches away, giving his cheeks a light dusting of pink. He looks away flustered. 

Your head continues to mindlessly wander, and you spot a silver-haired figure in the distance with their arms on their hips. The closer you and Daichi get, the more you feel the chill in the air (which doesn’t make sense at all, since it’s practically summertime). But it’s still there—that chill signaling how you’re in for a scolding. 

“Well, it’s about time!” Suga reprimands the two of you. “I had better expectations from you since Daichi offered to pick you up, but you truly do come late no matter what.” He then directs his scolding gaze at Daichi, “And what’s with you? You’re all red. Did you run here or something?” 

Daichi touches his pink cheeks self-consciously, feeling the warmth in his palms. “Uh—” 

Suga glances back at you and snorts, “Never mind. This one looks so out of it, haha. You couldn’t have run with her like that. Heck! Even if she _is_ functioning normally, she’d probably yell at you to slow down.” he chortles. 

Suga loops his arm through yours and ushers you inside, leaving Daichi still trying to compose himself. He clutches one hand against his cheek, and shakes his head quickly hoping the blush leaves along with it. 

Back in the restaurant, Suga seats you next to him on one of the wooden benches. 

“I’m dead Suga-san. I’m hungry.” 

He chuckles, “Take your pick! It’s on me this time!” 

A tired smile meets his hazel-brown eyes, “Thank you.” 

He snorts while eyeing your dazed look, “You look like a sloth.” 

You smile freezes a little, and your eyes turn black with a subtle shade of: _“I’m-so-fucking-done-with-your-shit.”_ But you didn’t have the energy for this. You’re starving, and he’s treating you to lunch anyway. 

His smug expression meets your tired, unamused one. The pair of you get into another one of those stare-offs: he’s egging you on like usual, and you stare icily not willing to back down. However; for the sake of your stomach, you break away and start looking at the menu. 

“Hah, I win.” 

You wave him off dismissively and continue to peruse through the menu. 

“Okay sure, whatever.” 

* * *

Summer sunshine is undeniably invigorating. It brings you light and bounding energy, especially after a free meal (courtesy of your neighborhood village idiot). You tilt your head upwards looking at the interwoven branches of the trees that line the sidewalk. Skipping ahead, you leave Suga and Daichi’s side. Both of which can’t even bother to keep up with you as you frolic cheerfully and so carefree. 

“I swear, this girl acts like a light switch.” 

“So moody and no in-between.” 

“One moment, she’s all dead and grumpy like a sloth. Then the next time, she’s bursting with energy.” 

“Are sloths grumpy, though? They seem so laid-back and cute.” 

“Cute?” Suga sneers, “She’d be the exception.” 

“She _can_ be charming at times.” Daichi watches you from a distance as you crouch down off to the side next to the neighborhood stray cat. 

You grab something from your bag—a thin stick with a long orange ribbon attached at the end—and you wave it playfully in front of the black kitty. It’s a random moment really _(like who casually carries cat toys in their bag?)_ , but your eccentricity has always amused Daichi. 

Suga follows Daichi’s gaze and sees you. He snorts at the sight and motions to Daichi, “Here, watch this.” He zips open his messenger bag and grabs a small rectangular box. It’s a white dessert box with a clear lid that shows the various pastel-colored macarons inside. There are faded pinks, periwinkle purples, mocha-colored ones, and soft greens. Suga approaches you from behind and starts to wave the box. 

“Hey idiot, guess what I’ve got!” you turn your head around while still crouched to the pavement and see Suga waving the box of macarons in front of your face. 

“Oooh! For me? Thank you, Suga-san!” you rise and start to reach over to Suga’s outstretched hand, but he quickly raises it overhead to where you can't reach it. He continues waving it high above his head and baits you to jump around as he turns from side to side, chortling in laughter. 

“Heeeyyy!” 

“Haha, look Daichi! She looks just like the cat now! Ahahaha!” Daichi chuckles a little in response seeing you try to wrestle with Suga to bring his arm down. Just like when you were playing with the neighborhood stray kitty, Suga’s got you jumping wildly trying to reach for the macarons. You were practically ready to scratch his arms off to grab the treat. 

Daichi plucks the box from Suga’s hand and extends his hand to you. “Here you go.” he gives you the box and you beam at him. Your eyes were sparkling, making Daichi feel a slight rush of warmth in his cheeks. 

“Thank you, Daichi-san!” your grin stretches as wide as it could be. You then look over to Suga and stick your tongue out, “And ‘no thanks’ to you!” 

“Hey. No fun.” Suga gives Daichi a dirty look. 

Daichi’s still entranced by your sparkling expression as you open the white box. You hand him a green macaron, the corners of your mouth upturned and your dimples showing. 

“Thank you,” he says and grabs the treat. 

You grab a mocha-colored one and take a huge bite out of it. 

“Hey! What about me?” Suga complains. You stare daggers at him and continue chewing. 

“Here. This one’s for you.” you hold up the remaining macaron you have just bit off from and wave it inches from his face. 

_“_ _Blegh_ _._ I don’t want your crumbs. Gross” he sticks his tongue out at you and rolls his eyes. 

Before he could react, you playfully take the macaron in your fingers and cram it into his mouth, causing Suga to cough and double over. He pounds at his chest repeatedly having almost choke to death from your antics. 

Daichi grabs a water bottle in his bag and hands it to Suga. You feel bad and tap his back lightly. “Yikes, sorry Suga-san! I took it too far.” 

Suga’s menacing eyes are back as he gulps some water and glares at you. You’ve always had this tendency of playing too rough sometimes, ever since you were a kid. It must be one of those personalities that you keep on bringing along with you despite reaching adulthood. Suga knows that too, having spent the last four years constantly bantering with you. He’s had more than a few injuries from your “jokes”. 

“Do you want the rest of them?” you present the white box of macarons in the palms of your hands and bow to him. You look at your feet wanting to avoid his deadly gaze. 

_Number 43: Another near-death experience for Suga-san_. You recount to yourself with your made-up tally in your head. 

He grabs the macarons and puts them away in his bag, “No more for you,” he chides. “Clearly, you can turn anything into a weapon. _L_ _ike you’ve always had_ _.”_

Daichi snickers, knowing how true that statement is. I mean, he _is_ part of the police force and all. He’s unfortunately been told to keep tabs on you whenever Suga complains about how you’d definitely be the number one suspect if he ever ends up dead. 

You sulk and look to the ground, holding your hands behind you like a child who just did something wrong. “I’m sorry,” you mutter and then you look up into those hazel brown eyes. They soften a bit, those cinnamon roll eyes. Suga then grabs you in a chokehold and starts walking forward. 

“ _Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow_.” you helplessly squirm under his grip, your feet having to keep up with his brisk pace. 

“That’s enough. I’ll give them back to you later at home.” he keeps on walking but eventually loosens his hold on you. You take the chance to swerve your head away and escape. 

“Hah!” you exclaim triumphantly and Suga just keeps on moving past you, so you hurry back to his side. 

Daichi trails behind the two of you, “Hey, wait up!” 

Summertime sun truly is energy-giving even on long exam days. 

* * *

Just as fast as summer came, autumn’s leaves were quickly settling into the ground. Time always skips away faster than you can grasp it. It’s like the feeling of water slipping through your fingers no matter how much you want to hang on to the moment. 

Time is a concept. You feel like you’re always running out of time, but maybe what you’re really lacking is the ability to value and prioritize the important things in life. 

You’re not a robot meant to achieve everything in a day. _You’re human_. Time and deadlines are just something people made up to stress other people out. It’s probably best to not get too frazzled by it. 

* * *

Sitting on your couch browsing through your latest job search, you start to smell the cookies brewing in the oven. 

“ _Mmm_ _m_ , are they almost done?” you happily ask Suga in a sing-song voice. 

He’s crouched in front of the oven, staring intently at the chocolate chip cookies through the oven window, “30 more seconds,” he replies. 

It’s been a couple of months now since you journeyed past the throes of civil servant exam season (and you thankfully passed!). Now you’re just waiting to hear from the hundreds of work applications and interviews you’ve been rigorously doing. 

You sit and stare intently at your current job search. Your tired eyes begin glazing over the screen, in need of a cookie break. 

_Ding!_

The end of the oven timer makes you jump up quicker than you normally could, and you’re at Suga’s side as he lays down the baking sheet full of the sweet goodness you’ve been waiting for. You start to reach over, hungry for a cookie, but Suga slaps your hand away. 

“No. You have to let it rest for a couple seconds.” 

You mentally count down: _1, 2, 3, 4, 5…_ And your hand reaches over again but gets slapped away once more. 

“ _Longer_ than just a couple seconds,” he reprimands. “Give it a minute or two.” 

_Sigh_. “Okay.” You don’t make your usual complaint, but that’s mostly because you can’t help but feel intrigued by the serious face Suga has on. 

He continues to stare down at the cookies, making you giggle. He doesn’t look it, but the man can be meticulous at times, especially when it comes to baking his desserts. After all, he’s been a part-timer at the neighborhood bakery since the start of college. 

“They’re done baking, idiot” 

“Shush. Don’t disrupt its sleep.” 

“ _Its sleep?_ What are you? Its mom?” you tilt your head to one side and make a face.”That would mean you just literally took out your babies from the oven.” 

“Yeah, that was their warm cocoon and now they’re ready to wake up and be butterflies.” 

“Yeah, they’re ready to be eaten by me,” you snatch a cookie and run back to the couch. You sit and stare at the never-ending list of jobs again. 

Suga joins you a few minutes later, a plate of cookies in one hand, and he places them on the coffee table. He came to your apartment earlier this afternoon when you asked him if he wanted to bake cookies with you. He agreed knowing that you’ll probably burn the apartment down with your distracted ass. 

It’s another one of those typical Saturdays. But it feels different this time. There’s no longer a need to worry about school since Suga and you are doing part-time work while applying for jobs on the side. You both passed your exams, and you’re onto the next step of applying for work. It takes a while to hear back from them, but you’re hopeful that this job search would end soon so that you could get on with life. 

“So, have you heard anything back yet?” Suga asks. 

You shake your head, “No. How about you?” 

“Nope,” he sighs. 

“How come no one ever told us that life would still be hard after college?” you sigh exasperatedly. 

“It’s cause college is secretly a scam to profit off your anxiety about needing to be a ‘successful’ person in society and that apparently means having a few letters behind your name.” 

You snort and grab a cookie from the plate, “Wow, fuck. You’ve clearly been thinking about that a lot.” 

He lifts his chin in the air and stares haughtily at you, “ _Well_ , since you’re looking at a future teacher here, I better prepare the kids for the harshness of reality.” 

“Haha, hopefully they don’t fire you.” 

“I need to get hired first, stupid.” 

_Ping!_

Suga looks at his phone and grabs a cookie. He's about to take a bite from it when suddenly his eyes lit up at whatever he was reading. He turns to look at you and shoves the phone so close to your face that you can’t even make out what was on the screen. 

You push the phone away so that you can actually see it and jokingly ask, “What? Is Asahi giving you updates on his love life again?” 

“Hah? What? No. Read it!” 

_“_ _Congratulations_ _Sugawara, Kou_ _shi_ _!_ _We are pleased to_ _acce—_ _“_

You don’t even finish reading the sentence when you screamed and jumped for joy and Suga jumps off the couch too. 

“AHHHH! YOU MADE IT!” 

“I MADE IT!” 

You embrace him, and the two of you bounce around in circles, cookies still in both of your hands. You pull back and beam at him. 

“Cheers!” you hold up the chocolate chip cookie in front of Suga. 

He returns the gesture and holds his dessert up next to yours, “Cheers!” 

You both take a bite and relish in the sweetness of the moment. The wait is finally over for your friend, and you’re happy to celebrate it with him. You can’t help but smile seeing his eyes light up as he reads through the rest of his acceptance letter. 

Suga raises his head to look at you, “You’ll get your job next too, you know. I know you will.” 

His words of encouragement make you sentimental, "Thanks, Suga-san.” 

It’s almost the end of the night and Suga decides to leave your apartment before it gets too late. You see him out the door and chuckle as he walks down the hall with a noticeable spring in his step. 

You head straight back to your bed, phone in hand, hoping that you also get that fateful email. You refresh the page a few times hoping to see a new message. Your sugar high has died down for the night, and your eyes start to droop. The night soon creeps into your vision as you continue to refresh your email, lulling you to sleep. 

* * *

It’s morning now, and you wake up with your phone stuck to your chest. You remember how you kept on checking your email the night before, and you figured it’s probably not a good way to start the day by obsessing over this. You can’t help yourself though. 

_One more check, and then I’ll start the day._

You get to your email, and see one unopened message. You try not to get your hopes up, but you can already read the subject line and three words stuck out at you: “ _Job Offer Acceptance”._

Blinking a few times, you hope you’re actually awake and not just dreaming about this. You read through the email, and it tells you that you got accepted to the position you applied for. You read it a few more times, hoping that you’re not dreaming. 

Excitement is brimming in the air, and you bring the phone to your ear. 

A sleepy voice answers, “Hmm?” 

“I GOT ACCEPTED!” 

A few exasperated groans come from the other end, followed by a string of profanities complaining about your loudness in the morning. 

You interject and say it again in a quieter voice, “I got accepted, Suga-san.” 

“Yes, yes. I head you the first time,” you hear some rustling over the static. “Let’s head to breakfast at 9? Your shift at the café doesn’t start until after lunch, right?” 

“Okay!” you reply so quickly and start getting off the bed. 

Suga snickers at your bubbling excitement, “Congratulations, y/n. I knew you’d make it too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I really tried to do my research and fit the timeline of the story to when actual civil servant/teacher certification exams happen in Japan, but things are probably not that accurate by the end of this chapter. Hah. So much for google translating all those websites, lol.


	5. Crisp Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brisk fall air has settled in your bones, and it’s the lively start of your first week of work.

As you turn off the lights in your apartment and open your door to step out, you check your purse one more time to make sure you didn’t forget anything. 

_Okay, so I’ve got my wallet; keys; notebook; pens; bus card, an extra pair of glasses in case I lose my contacts; lip balm for the chilly weather; hand sanitizer; mini sewing kit..._

The list goes on and on in your head as you do your 18th check of the morning with your all-in-one emergency pack of a purse. It’s your first day of work in a new environment and you never know what surprises might come. Overthinking like this is practically second nature to you, and you don’t mind as long as it eases your anxiousness. You lock the door to your apartment and start heading out. 

It’s a foggy autumn morning as you look out into the distance while walking to the bus station. You take a gulp of the chilly air and witness the reds, yellows, and oranges of the trees fluttering to the ground. The soft crunch of leaves reaches your ears. You notice your furry friend in its usual corner by the bushes, and you stop to pet it for a moment. 

“It’s my first day of work, you know?” The black feline closes its eyes and purrs underneath your palm. “I feel pretty nervous... but excited... though still mostly nervous, really.” 

It opens its bright eyes to stare at you—those curious copper eyes consoling your first-day jitters. “You think they’ll like me?” 

Your feline friend rubs its face on your leg and meows, and you continue stroking its head. “I hope so too.” 

* * *

It’s about a 16-minute bus ride to your first full-time job out of college: _Sendai City Hall._ The tall building and its glorious fountain by the side. You’ll be a civil servant here learning how to do all types of work, and you’re nervously thrilled for the day as you step into its doors. 

You look up at your new surroundings and marvel at the high ceilings and tall glass windows. It’s nothing fancy, since it’s a standard government building, but it’s still shiny and new to your eyes. You walk across the gray tiled floor to reach the elevators and stand behind a few people waiting to get in. It’s still pretty early in the day, so only a few people fill up the elevator as you step in. You reach for the number “5” to get to the fifth floor where your orientation was, but then a hand beats you to it. 

“Oh sorry, didn’t mean to brush your hand away...” you turn towards the apologizing voice and see someone with ruffled hair. “I guess we’re going to the same flo—wait. I know you!” 

You tilt your head a little as you look into the man’s excited expression, and then it hits you: _It’s Daichi’s friend, ruffle-haired man! (what was his name again?)_

“Oh, hi! Ike—uhh... Ikeda-san? Right? Sorry.” You scratch your head hoping you got the name right. 

“Don’t worry about it! It’s Ikejiri!" he grins at you. "Hayato, Ikejiri. And y/n-san, right?” 

_Damnit, he remembered my name right. Now I feel bad._ “Yep, you got it. Sorry again, Ikejiri-san.” 

“It’s nothing!” his warm smile reaches all the way up to his eyes. “Are you starting work here, too?!” 

His smile is so infectious that it makes the corners of your mouth turn up, “Yeah, I’m starting today.” You step out of the elevator and he walks alongside you, “I’m assuming you’re heading to the orientation too, then?” 

“Yeah!” You both spot the signs directing you to the conference room for orientation. “I’m glad I know someone here, already!” 

You may not be familiar with Ikejiri, but knowing that he’s a good friend of Daichi’s makes you feel at ease right away. “I’m glad too.” 

The two of you enter the room and are greeted by city hall staff, ushering you to grab your welcome folders and some coffee by the tables. Ikejiri and you continue chatting as you sit down and wait for the orientation to start. And with that, the first day of work is going smoothly already. 

It sure is nice to know at least one somewhat familiar face in this new chapter of life. 

* * *

The day goes by so quickly, you barely even notice how it’s almost sunset, signaling the end of the workday. You climb out of the elevators with Ikejiri and start walking across the lobby. You’ve been getting to know all the new recruits throughout the day, but Ikejiri and his lively chatter entertains you the most. Especially since he often recounts his middle school days with Daichi. 

“So _then_... guess what he did?” Ikejiri pauses for dramatic effect. 

Your expectant eyes look into his, “What?” 

“He runs _so_ fast across the classroom to try and stop me from passing his love letter to her—” 

“Wait, _Daichi writes love letters?!_ Ahaha!” you can feel your eyes start to water. “That’s so cute! But I thought you were passing her his homework?” 

“Yeah, that’s the funny part! Daichi’s always been a more serious kind of guy who tries to be the ‘ _responsible one’_ ,”—Ikejiri rolls his eyes and does a few air quotes—“but he’s hopeless when it comes to his love life, haha!” Ikejiri guffaws and you chortle too. 

“So, did she end up getting it then? The love letter?” You open the door for Ikejiri as you both step outside. 

“Yup! Daichi wasn’t quick enough, and he actually tripped over one of the chair legs and fell face flat to the floor right in front of her!” he continues guffawing. 

You feel bad as you picture poor, middle school Daichi all embarrassed, but then you can’t contain your laughter at the all the hardships of middle school romance. 

The two of you don’t even notice the policeman walking your direction until he yells out your names. 

“Y/n-san! Ikejiri! The two of you work together?!” 

You look up recognizing that voice right away and you meet Daichi's warm eyes. Still thinking about that childhood story, you immediately picture middle school him feeling flustered by his accidental confession to the girl he likes. You burst out in laughter one more time and Ikejiri joins you. 

_“_ _Bwahahaha_ _!”_

“Did I do something?” 

“Sorry Daichi-san!” you chuckle. “Ikejiri-san was just telling me childhood stories about you, haha!” 

Daichi’s cheeks redden and he glares at Ikejiri, “ _What have you said?_ I swear, if it’s another one of your embarrassing stories of me...” 

“Haha! Don’t worry!” Ikejiri counts it off with his fingers, “I’ve only told her the ‘love letter confession one,’ the ‘spilled milk one,’ the couple of volleyball mishaps; and—”. 

“That’s enough.” Daichi’s stern tone cuts the air like ice, but it doesn’t make you nervous at all. It actually makes you laugh even harder, and Ikejiri joins in your amusement. 

Daichi moves behind you and places a hand on your back, nudging you a few steps forward. “We’re leaving, y/n-san. You don’t need to hear anymore from him.” 

“Ahaha! Wait!” You turn back and wave goodbye to Ikejiri, “See you tomorrow, Ikejiri-san! Can’t wait to hear more!” 

Ikejiri waves back, “See you tomorrow! Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty!” he scampers away before Daichi could get a hold of him. 

“Woah there, officer. Calm down! You can’t just be manhandling random citizens on the sidewalk,” you giggle. 

Daichi sighs, remembering that he’s still in his uniform since he’s technically not off the clock yet. He planned to greet you at the end of your work day, since he just happens to work across the street at the Miyagi Prefectural Police Headquarters. He wanted to catch you before you left to congratulate you on your first day. 

Your giggling continues, making his eyes crinkle and a soft smile fills his face. The sound of you chuckling is like a melody of wind chimes to his ears. Daichi starts walking you to the bus stop before returning back to the office. 

“You’re not off work yet, huh? Another late night?” you ask him as the sun goes down and you start crossing the street. 

“No, not too late. I just have some paperwork I need to finish up.” 

“Well, I don’t want to hold you up. You should get back so that you don’t leave too late.” 

Daichi’s expression warms at you concern for him, “I don’t mind.” 

“Hey.” You start sternly, “I am unfortunately an expert at overworking myself, and I’m trying to get away from that, so I’d hate to see my friends do the same.” 

The crinkling around his eyes enunciates itself more. He gives you a reassuring grin, “Don’t worry about it. I rarely stay late, anyway. The Community Safety Division doesn't work as late in the night as the people over at Investigations.” 

You raise one eyebrow and sigh, “Okay, I just wanted to check on you” _(since you do the same for me all the time, you thought to yourself)._

You reach the bus stop across the street and spot your bus a few meters away waiting at the red light. “Thanks for saying ‘hi’ though! I had a great first day.” 

Daichi notices your bus too and feels a little sad knowing that you’ll leave soon, “I’m glad,” he says. “Congratulations on day one!” 

The bus starts to move, and you place a hand on Daichi’s shoulder, “I wish I could talk more, but since you and I basically work in the same area, let’s grab lunch or coffee together!” 

He gives you a shy grin, “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I’ll see you tomorrow y/n-san!” 

You wave goodbye before you step into the bus and the doors close. Daichi watches as it rolls away, and he feels the residual warmth from your hand lingering on his shoulder just a minute ago. He hoped you didn’t hear the weird sounds his heart was making. It’s been happening frequently lately; he wonders whether he should get it checked by a doctor or something. 

The orange rays have slowly left the sky as Daichi walks back to work. Dusk was settling in, and so were his feelings of being content with whatever time he manages to spend with you, no matter how brief. You always felt like a spring breeze to him—refreshing and long-awaited. 

* * *

Sitting next to the bus windows, you stare at the last few moments of scarlet sunlight before dusk spreads itself through the sky. The glow of streets and city lights pass you by, and you hear a text coming from your phone. 

_“Hey, where u at? I AM_ _HUUUNGRYYY_ _. The kids killed me today.”_

You snort and text back, _“Isn’t that like_ _every day_ _? Hopefully they succeeded this time.”_

Suga replies, _“_ _I hate u_ _:P”_

_“Heh. Love u too :P See you in 10.”_

You tuck your phone away and continue looking out. It’s been a whirlwind of a day: starting fresh at your first day of work, seeing unexpected familiar faces, and now you’re on your way to dinner with Suga. It’s almost like any other day, but it sure feels nice knowing that you don’t have to go home and slave over endless amounts of school work _(a well-deserved perk of post-grad life)._

You see your stop coming up and start rising from your seat. You glance at your watch as you step out of the bus: _18:03._ Just like you promised, you’ll see Suga in less than ten minutes. He’s so annoyingly punctual and expects the same from you, so you try to plan ahead. You give no promises, though, and he knows that too. 

You step into the small izakaya you and Suga frequented and see his mess of silver hair. It’s a little bit longer and a lot shaggier now in comparison to your college days. You figure that his chaotic tresses must be an accumulation of all the stress that comes with being a new elementary school teacher. 

“Hey ugly! I’m here! I made it relatively on time, didn’t I?” you stare at your watch: _18:09._

“Yeah yeah, whatever.” Suga drinks out of his mug of beer, already half empty. 

You muss up his hair as you sit down, “Aww, what is it now? Did the kids tie you up at a stake during homeroom or something?” 

“Nooo,” Suga whines looking down. “Akihiko-kun was bullying Ritsu-kun again this morning, and I tried stepping in, but by lunchtime they were at it again and Akihiko just glared at me! Like fuck, do kids have no shame nowadays? I’m dealing with devils down there.” He reaches for his glass again, but you stop his hand and move his mug away. 

Suga has the alcohol tolerance of a feather, and your food hasn’t even come to the table yet. He doesn’t even look annoyed at you for taking his drink away, and you just know that he’s probably already drunk enough. He’s the sad kind of drunk—the type who’s so whiny and is such an ugly crier. Stupidly reckless too, considering that he’s out getting drunk on a Monday night. However, he’s also the type who comes back completely fine the next morning and not hung over. That lucky bastard. 

“Then you just gotta be up front with them! You’re the teacher and the least you deserve is their respect!” You pet his head again and he shrinks himself into his seat, cowering over. 

“But I just started working there,” he pouts. “If I go all out strict-sensei on them, one of the devils will tell on me.” 

A snort almost comes from your mouth, but you hold it in seeing Suga’s sullen expression. _What a silly thing to be worried about: “strict sensei”? Haha!_ The pouty faced man in front of you sure is both a softie yet feral, chaotic human being depending on the day. He _would_ be the type who’s too soft to discipline children, but then he’ll burst out of frustration when he’s had enough. 

“You can balance it. I’m sure it just takes practice.” The comfort laced with your words does little to encourage Suga. “You do it all the time with me!” 

“True,” he nods off. “I guess you’re just as worse as the little ones, anyway.” 

“ _HEY_. I’ve come a long way! What are you talking about? If you were my teacher—” 

Suga raises his hand in front of your face, trying to shield his view of you. “No, I don’t even want to think of you as a student. You probably try to act all nice in class but then beat kids up after school when no one’s looking.” 

You slap his hand away, “ _Stop_ .” You reach over to grab his half-finished beer and take a sip. “ _Well, you’re not entirely_ _wrong._ I only threw a punch at the ones who pissed me off.” 

Suga snorts, “I’m not even surprised anymore.” 

A server comes to grace your table with platters of food. They ask if either of you need another beer. 

Suga starts, “Uh yes please. Thank yo—” 

“No, that’s enough for him. And I don’t need one either. Thank you!” The server smiles looking at the two of you and turns away.

 _“_ _Hmmph_ _.”_ Suga pouts again. 

“See that?” You waggle your finger while pointing at his face, “you’re all red and pouty the whole night. That’s enough for you,” and you take another sip. 

Suga picks at his meal, a permanent scowl on his face. Just like a little kid forced to eat his vegetables. Sometimes you wonder whether his “mother-bird” personality has started to rub off on you. A chuckle escapes your lips, and you start telling him about your first day of work. 

* * *

“Ikejiri-san? Who’s that?” Suga grumbles in between bites. 

“It’s Daichi-san's middle school friend. I think you guys played volleyball with him in high school?” 

Suga pauses for a moment to think, then his eyes sparked with recognition, “Tokonami High School! Yeah, I remember him!” 

“Yeah! I work with him now!”

“Well, you sound excited,” Suga continues picking at his food and smirks at you. “Sounds like an office-romance in the making, huh?” 

You shove his shoulder and glower at him, “Just cause I happen to get along with someone right away, doesn’t mean I like them, idiot.” 

Your shove did little to interrupt his eating and he continues, “Oh yeah! Are you coming this Sunday? There’s a practice match with the neighborhood association.” 

You do some mental calculations with the calendar in your head: _Man, it sure is nice to be out of school! I have_ _nothing_ _that I need to do on Sundays now! I can relax, be free, hangout with friends, sleep endlessly, maybe watch a movie—”_

“Uhh, helloooo?” Suga waves a hand in your face. “Are you done with your mental gymnastics yet? You can just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. No need to think too hard.” 

Your eyes sparkled, “Yeah, I can come!” 

“Yeah, don’t be late. You missed my awesome spike during that first set last time.” 

“Uh-huh, uh-huh. Sure,” you look at him mockingly. “I bet I’d still miss that spike anyway even if I was there.” 

Suga sticks his tongue out at you, and you give him the widest grin you can manage to piss him off further. 

The night quickly passes with your endless chatter with Suga, and the two of you finish your dinners and head home your separate ways. You feel your tiredness as soon as you get back to your apartment. The moment you shut your front door, you start undressing as you head towards the bathroom. You like to be efficient, so you multitask and quickly go through your night routine so that you can crash to bed sooner rather than later. You pick up your phone and see a text from Suga. 

_“Did you get home safe? Text me when you see this.”_

_“Yes, MOM. I got home. No need to worry about me,”_ you reply. 

_“Yeah, no. I don’t worry about you. I worry about the people you run into late at night who you’ll probably murder for no good reason.”_

You message him back, _“Yeah, you’re right. Hopefully I’ll run into you next time!”_

Feeling the heaviness of your eyes, you toss your phone aside and don’t even wait for a reply back as you sink into slumber. 

* * *

It's a new day, and you pet your furry little friend again just like any other morning before work. It’s another peaceful fall morning, and you’re already at the end of your first week. How quickly the time passes with you barely noticing. 

“Can you believe it’s Friday already?” You continue stroking the black kitty, “It feels like I just started yesterday.” 

Soft purrs rumble out of your furry confidante. You look at your watch: _07:13_. It’s just about time to go. 

You give the black fluff ball one last rub on the head before rising from your crouched position, “See you later!” And you start walking to the bus stop. 

The pavement is littered with leaves again, and the trees were slowly removing their fall-colored sweaters of reds, yellows and oranges. You’ve always liked this time of year. Short and sweet, yet full of transformation. Time passes through it so quickly with autumn’s colors just lasting about a month, but its temporary existence makes it all the more special. 

You hop onto the bus and look out the window to see the sleepy streets slowly waking up. It’s become a habit of yours to rise much earlier in the morning than you actually need to. You assume that this must be your body’s post-traumatic stress reaction from the 3:00 or 4:00 AM alarms you used to set for yourself. 

_Sigh. How did I use to live like that?_

City hall comes right into view and so does the police headquarters. You step off the bus and start heading to that café by the corner where you immediately see Daichi waving to you. 

“Good morning!” he opens the café doors and ushers you in. 

“Thanks, Daichi-san. Good morning to you too!” 

It’s starting to become a ritual between the two of you to grab coffee in the morning together. You look at the menu, knowing full well that you’re just going to order the same thing as always: a regular black coffee with no cream or sugar. Daichi on the other hand, pours a bit of half-and-half into his cup. 

You sit across from each other at a table by the windows. “A regular black coffee like usual?” he asks. 

“Yep! My favorite kind—coffee as black as my heart.” You take a long sip and let the comforting smell waft through your nose. 

He chuckles, “So, will you be there on Sunday? The practice match?” 

Your eyebrow rose and excitement fills your face, “That’s right, Suga was telling me about that the other day! I forget that you’re both on the same team.” 

Daichi's face lights up, “Yeah, Ikejiri’s going to be there too!”

“ _What?_ I don’t remember seeing him in other matches before... are you going against them, then?” 

He laughs at your bemusement, “Yeah, did you forget that your team is going against ours?” 

“ _My team?_ What?” 

“We’re going against the Sendai City Hall Municipal volleyball team. _Well, me and Suga are._ We’re going against you and Ikejiri.” 

_“_ _Hah_ _?”_ Your forehead creases while your fickle-mindedness continues to process the information. 

Daichi chuckles and pats your head. 

You sip your coffee once more to wake your brain up, “Ikejiri-kun is already on the team? He truly doesn’t miss a beat, does he? _Tch._ ” You shake your head with a half-smile painting your face. Ikejiri and all the energy he brings makes you roll your eyes and wonder where it all comes from. 

Daichi notices right away how comfortable you are talking about Ikejiri. “Hey y/n-san. Ikejiri didn’t share anything else about me, did he? Like... no embarrassing middle school stories like last time, right?” 

You look down trying to hide the corner of your lips from turning up and swirl your coffee in your hand. You raise your head and meet his eyes slowly, “ _Hmm?_ What’s that?” 

His face immediately turns sour, “Don’t believe him. He’s a chronic liar and he likes making stuff up.” Daichi huffs. 

“Ahahaha! What are you so worried about? They’re all such cute stories!” You guffaw into your palm. 

His cheeks slightly redden and looks away, taking a sip of his drink

“Haha! Stop worrying! You’ll just have to retell the stories to me then in case Ikejiri-kun is lying and just sensationalizing his stories.” 

Daichi turns back, his expression warmer than before, and proceeds with asking you what vile gossip Ikejiri has shared with you so far. You laugh seeing how riled up Daichi is about your new co-worker, and you continue on for the next hour until you both had to leave for work. 

* * *

The sun is so high up in the cloudless sky by the time you and Daichi step out of the coffee shop. You both walk down the sidewalk until you had to part ways. 

“See you on Sunday!” You wave goodbye to him before you start heading towards the crosswalk. 

“Bye, y/n-san. Have a good day at work!” And he pulls you into a hug with his arms wrapping around your shoulders. Daichi’s much taller than you, so he practically engulfs you into his embrace with his head right next to yours. The warm aroma of coffee was clinging onto your hair as he breathes in. 

You giggle, not used to getting hugs from Daichi, but you return the hug back anyway. “Bye Daichi-san. Have a great day too!” You pull back to smile at him and wave once more before crossing the street. 

A light dusting of pink paints his cheeks again. _Did I just hug her? What was that?_ He thinks to himself. He touches his cheeks feeling the warmth. _It must be the weather. It has been getting chilly. I probably just wanted a hug for warmth, right?_

A flustered Daichi starts walking towards the police headquarters while autumn’s breeze hovered about in the air. He hopes that he wasn’t coming down with a cold and he readjusts his scarf a little tighter around his neck, ready to start this last day of the week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So funnily enough, real life Sendai City Hall IS just across the street from the Miyagi Prefectural Police headquarters [(see map here)](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Miyagi+Prefectural+Police+Headquarter,+3+Chome-8-1+Honcho,+Aoba+Ward,+Sendai,+Miyagi,+Japan/Sendai+City+Hall,+3+Chome-7-1+Kokubuncho,+Aoba+Ward,+Sendai,+Miyagi+980-8671,+Japan/@38.2687684,140.8702568,18z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x5f8a28292ed045a3:0x11986fc39671b811!2m2!1d140.8730443!2d38.2687343!1m5!1m1!1s0x5f8a282ef1ff4d5d:0x6c2640893bd2705b!2m2!1d140.8694255!2d38.2682009!3e3). When I found out about this while researching a flurry of stories came to my head, and ta-da! Here is this chapter. (again, please forgive my lack of planning, haha)


	6. Pastime Pleasantries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weekends are for training your mind to do nothing. They’re meant for you to relax, enjoy, laze around, and maybe share laughter with company. They’re also meant to be longer.

Lying in bed, you subconsciously feel that moment where you’re about to wake up: the streams of sunlight tugging at your eyelids; birds quietly chirping in the background and greeting you ‘good morning’—it was the type of day you like waking up to. No alarms, no school, no work, no responsibilities. Waking up on weekends like this must be the life you kept on dreaming about since your sleepless days in college. 

You open your eyes and stare up at the ceiling. Thoughts swirling in your head. 

_Is this what it means to live a “normal” non-workaholic life? Like, I actually get to choose what time I want to wake up to in the morning? Or... I get to choose whether I have things to do or not? I think this is what relaxation is, right?_

You think back to a promise you made to yourself during that one intense finals week. 

* * *

_Thud_ _._ _Thud_ _._ _Thud_ _._ _Thud_ _._

_You were quietly pounding your head over the table, a stack of books next to one ear and a mess of papers by your_ _frazzled_ _head._

_ Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. _

_It’s the dead of night (or early morning) 02:17 AM, and you were done. Completely dead. Just absolutely done with school. Except you weren’t. You still had a paper to write, a chapter to read,_ _some_ _review_ _worksheets to do, and..._ _you just don’t want to think about it anymore._

_ Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. _

_It’s almost rhythmic. A sound that’s oddly soothing the dull headache you’ve been having today. You continue to_ _drum_ _your head brainlessly_ _on the hard surface_ _until the table suddenly becomes soft._ _Soft?_ _Wait, no. It’s no longer the grain of your_ _dining_ _table on your forehead, but it’s someone’s hand. You look up._

_“I think you’re done for the night.” Suga and his mess of silver hair looks at you groggily, a yawn_ _escapes_ _his lips as he stands next to you._

_“But I still have to—”_

_“No,” his sleepy eyes can still be piercing when you get caught in it. “You’ve been going at it since this afternoon. It’s not going to kill you if you go to sleep for once.”_

_“But I—”_

_His stern gaze grows stronger by the second, and knowing Suga, you know that he won’t hesitate to berate you for your unhealthy habits._

_Breathing_ _out a sigh_ _, you_ _straighten up in your chair, “Okay. I guess nothing else is going into my head right now. I’ll take a brief power nap and go at it again later.”_

_He crosses his arms and looks down at you disapprovingly. “You know, this isn’t helpful. I bet you’d actually do better if you take a break for once. Go sleep like a regular person!”_

_“_ _There’s still_ _so much—”_

_“_ _No_ _. It’s the weekend. Give yourself at least one night of_ _actual sleep and then you can go work to your heart’s content afterwards. It’ll be good for you.”_

_Suga drags you up from your chair_ _and pushes your back towards the bathroom. He ushers you in and closes the door behind you. “Go brush your teeth before going to bed_ _or you’ll_ _get cavities_ _! And_ _your breath smells_ _!”_

_He came over to your apartment for a study session that day, and just like any other finals week, Suga’s the only person you can manage to study with. It’s because he’s willing to slave over his work through the night just like you_ _. However, you tend to take it a step too far._ _You and him often end up sleeping over at each other’s places, because it gets so late whenever you try to cram for exams._

_After finishing up in the bathroom, you open the door and walk back. You spot Suga on the couch, already knocked out on his side and snoring into his arm. You grab one of your throw blankets hanging on the side and lay it over him before turning off the lights and heading into your bedroom._

_It was a long night. You feel the weight of your body being sucked into the bed as soon as you_ _lay down._ _Tiredness was grappling you_ _at all sides making you sink further_ _and_ _further in as you curl into your blankets. You_ _make a promise to yourself to at least sleep a little longer from time to time._

_I bet I would do better on exams if I took breaks like this, right?_

_It’s hard to convince_ _yourself that you_ _do_ _deserve this sleep, and that it’s good to take a break. A proper break._ _You know that this is what you’re supposed_ _to_ _do, because you’re_ _not_ _a machine. You try to persuade_ _yourself that_ _all_ _will be okay._ _That_ _there_ _will_ _always_ _be_ _time to_ _work tomorrow_ _._

_I_ _t will be okay._

_Just close your eyes and rest, and start it all over again tomorrow._ _Tomorrow's not going to go away._ _You won’t fail out of school just because you didn’t finish everything you meant to do today. You always work hard, and you’re prepared. To work hard means that you need to take care of yourself too._

_I t will be okay. _

_It doesn’t take long for your ramble of thoughts to end_ _before_ _exhaustion_ _takes_ _a_ _hold of you, forcing you into_ _deep_ _slumber._

* * *

After morning daydreams and relishing in the calm and warmth of your blankets, you decide to go on a run. The weird thing about post-grad life is that now you have all this free time to do something— a schedule-free life to do anything! It’s just a matter of whether you have a hobby or not to fill the time. On this particular Sunday, you managed to have enough time to go on a jog before the game today, since you still wake up absurdly early despite having no alarm.

It _is_ hard to break from habit, after all. 

You’re not one with many hobbies, but something that you do every now and then is running. You don’t particularly love it or hate it, but you are a bit of wanderer. Running leads you to all these different sights to see, all the myriad of paths to choose. It excites you to see how far you can go. You try not to wander too much though on your runs, since it often leaves you in near-accidents when your head is too far into the clouds. 

Today, your journey takes you along the Hirose River. It’s a familiar running route for you since you live nearby, but you also like to switch it up often and get lost within the neighborhood streets. It’s like you're playing hide-and-seek with the river. Its rushing stream can be within your line of sight one second, but you sneak away from it time to time whenever you take that next turn into unfamiliar pavements. 

It’s a little dose of escapism within your day. Kind of like playing hide-and-seek with life: hiding every now and then to escape the reality of it all but also knowing that you should come back to familiar roads eventually. 

The city is slowly waking up with only a few people walking about. Some street vendors are setting up for the day; you spot a man fishing by the river; and various shrubs and greenery line the path of your running trail. It's a slow Sunday morning for everyone. Before long, you glance at your watch and decide that you should take the next turn back to your apartment so that you’re on time for the game today. 

* * *

Back in your apartment, you hurriedly wash up and change into some fresh clothes. You practically scamper out the door and rush to the bus stop, unlike most mornings when you take your time going to work. Your bizarre opposite reality on the weekends makes you laugh. No matter how hard you try, you’re always running late for any type of social gathering. It makes you wonder whether you should give up with this whole "being-on-time" thing. 

But you don’t. It’s hard to ignore a certain idiot’s voice ringing in your head reminding you that you promised to be there on the dot. 

You manage to board the bus on time to the community center, and you make your way into the lively gym, shoes squeaking and yells resounding in the air. A flurry of activity was already happening as the players start warming up for their practice match. You spot the usual black folding chairs you sit on near the back end of the court, and you walk over. There are only a few other spectators for the game today (it's the usual neighborhood uncles who frequent the community center), since it’s not an official game. You give them a quick glance and a short smile, for courtesy's sake, as you sit down. 

You scan the court, and within seconds you immediately find the back of that silver-haired idiot who nagged you to come on time today. Suga turns around, as though hearing your favored nickname for him. He waves while flashing a wide grin, “Oi! Y/n-chan!” 

Daichi is next to him, and he waves at you too, a smile plastered to his face. 

You wave back at the two, returning their bright expressions with a smile of your own, and they proceed back to their warm-ups. 

Another familiar voice yells out to you, this time farther away, sounding like it was coming from the other side of the net. You peer to the side to look past all the moving bodies on the court, and it takes you a couple of seconds before you spot Ikejiri waving both arms in the air. He’s like a jumping cricket trying to get your attention. 

A chuckle makes its way out of your mouth, and you give him a wave back as well. 

Today is a practice match between Suga and Daichi’s neighborhood association team and your own workplace’s municipal volleyball team. It still boggles your mind as to how on earth Ikejiri got himself involved so fast considering you both just started work about a week ago, but you suppose that’s just how he is—the “always-fully-charged-battery" kind of friend. 

After warm-ups wrap up, the game starts soon after the blow of the ref’s whistle. The neighborhood association’s team serves first, and you notice Suga at the back of the baseline setting up to serve. 

“Here I go!” Suga yells as he makes his serve and directs it straight to the other side. A player digs it in time, but they end up kneeling over from the receive, breaking their defenses. The municipal team doesn’t make a clean pass to their setter, but their wing spiker still manages to deliver a good spike! 

That is... until Daichi receives the blue and yellow ball like it’s no problem at all. 

He and Suga continue to score a few points like this, and you start to see how _bad_ your municipal team truly is. Not being able to get a single point this early in the game sure must be quite the discouragement. 

But despite that, things quickly change and the flow of the game shifts once Ikejiri delivers a sudden quick. He spikes it straight down the middle, avoiding all the blockers before anyone could react. Shouts of joy and claps to the back from your co-workers greet Ikejiri. You don’t recognize any of them, but you can just tell that your cheerful office mate has already fit in nicely with the rest of the group. 

The two teams go at it for quite some time, and since you’re not a big sports fan, you don’t focus on every detail of the game. Matches like these don’t always make you grip at your seat in anticipation; however, you do enjoy seeing your friends having fun on the court. There are little moments here and there that light up your face whenever they play. Things like: Suga and Daichi giving their team a quick group hug after long rallies, or Ikejiri fist pumping the air when he lands a powerful spike. There’s something about moments like these that just feels so exhilarating to watch and special to share with close friends. 

* * *

The game surprisingly ends quicker than you expect it to. The neighborhood association team wins in straight sets against your Sendai city hall municipal volleyball team. It doesn’t surprise you too much, since they were struggling throughout the game, and of course, it does little to hamper down Ikejiri’s mood. 

He bounces off to you as soon as you leave your chair, “Y/n-san! Did you see those spikes? I did awesome, didn’t I?” Ikejiri beams proudly. 

Infected by the energy Ikejiri spreads, you let out a small laugh and open your mouth to respond when someone else butts into the conversation. 

“How about me? How about me, y/n-chan? Good thing you were on time to see those nasty serves I started off with, huh?” Suga elbows you from out of nowhere, suddenly appearing at your side. You automatically brush his arm away, unfazed by the usual annoyance, as though you’re moving aside a bug that landed on you. 

“Yeah, you were great Ikejiri-san!” you give him a double thumbs-up. 

You turn to Suga with mischief in your eyes. “You were... hmm, how should I say it? You’re just _eh,_ ” and you shrug your shoulders while waving a hand dismissively. 

Suga grabs you in a chokehold and musses up your hair, ” _Oi_ , what was I? Say that again?” 

“Ahh! Get away from me! You’re all sweaty!” 

He continues to ruffle up your hair and you squirm underneath his grasp trying to escape. Ikejiri guffaws seeing the spectacle, while Daichi soon comes in and bonks Suga in the head with a firm chop. 

“ _Oof.”_ Suga makes a face and lets go of you. He glowers at Daichi, “You always ruin the fun.” 

Ikejiri continues to snicker, and you stick your tongue out at Suga while fixing your hair. 

Daichi crosses his arms, “Knock it off, Suga.” 

A smirk spreads across your face as though you’re the lucky child who doesn’t get scolded. “Yeaaah, knock it off,” you jeer obnoxiously. 

Daichi’s pointed gaze shifts to you, “But _as always_ , I know you start it all the time too.” 

Suga’s lips curl into a sneer highlighted by the smug look on his face, and he leans his arm on Daichi’s shoulder, taunting you. You bristle at the sight and huff out an exasperated sigh. 

Daichi chortles and ruffles your hair, “Let’s go. I’m hungry.” He grabs you by the wrist and starts to head out the door while you look back at Suga and give him a one finger salute. He chuckles and returns the gesture back while leaning over one side to grab his duffel bag. 

Ikejiri just looks between the both of you, shaking his head in laughter. Boy, he didn’t know that spending time with the three of you would get him this kind entertainment! He grabs his duffel bag too and slings it over his shoulder. 

The four of you soon walk side-by-side as you exit the community center, warm laughter ringing in the air and reaching all the way up to sit next to sunshine and autumn’s fiery leaves. 

* * *

Steaming hot bows of rice sit atop the wooden grain as four pairs of eyes stare hungrily at the grill in the middle of the table. The sizzling sounds of meat cooking is enough to make any mouth water, especially that of three volleyball athletes (and one always-hungry human). 

Chopsticks in hand and alert eyes gleaming, you patiently wait for that browning of meat signaling when it’s finally cooked. The four of you found yourselves in your typical yakiniku spot a few streets down the community center. 

It’s the lunchtime rush hour, and the sounds of lively chatter are drowned out by the sizzling meat that you are so fixated upon. It’s almost like you’re willing it to grill faster by training your determined gaze at it. Suga, who’s sitting next to you on the bench, senses your all-too-familiar intense vibe radiating off the walls as you hunch over to stare. 

He claps your back and brings you back to reality, “Oi, you’re going to wreck your back looking at it like that.” 

“Ow,” you straighten up and go right back to your staring contest. 

Slabs and skewers of beef get charred by the flames, and it’s just how you like it! They’re about ready to take off the grill, and Daichi goes to pick up a piece and places it on top of the rice in your bowl. Your eyes give a sparkle of thanks to his woodsy brown ones, and you pop a bite into your mouth, relishing in the crisp rich flavor of grilled short rib. 

* * *

After endless servings of meat, a bowl or two of rice, and some water, you lean back into your bench and sigh happily with content. The three others continue chewing, mouths full and bellies still waiting to be filled up. You sit back up and start to rise from the bench. “I’ll be back. I’m heading to the bathroom.” 

“Okay!” 

“Yep, sure.” 

“Don’t fall in the toilet!” 

You roll your eyes at Suga before leaving. “I’m not drunk, stupid,” you mutter as you leave and head to the back of the restaurant where the bathrooms are. 

The three continue scarfing down as much as they can, like the ravenous ravens they are. 

“So...” Ikejiri starts while shoveling food into his mouth, “I’ve been trying to figure it out, but which one of you is dating y/n-san, again?” 

One pair of eyes bulges out of its sockets and chokes on his food, while the other has the corners of his eyes crinkle in amusement while cackling out loud. 

_“Ahahaha!_ Yeah right, like I would ever!” Suga lets out a cachinnation that rattle through the air and makes a few people stare at the suddenly rowdy table. The volume eventually settles down into a string of chuckles, “Y/n-san is just a good friend.” 

Daichi recovers from his violent inhalation of food. “Uhh, yeah.” He takes a few more sips of water and clears his throat, “We love y/n-san. But not like that...” His sentence trails off, almost ending in a question, but no one notices. 

Ikejiri continues to casually chomp down on his food, unfazed by their reactions. “Ah, I see.” 

Suga raises his eyebrow with a glint in his eye, “ _You see, huh?_ What _do_ you see, Ikejiri-san?” He continues to egg him on, “Are you interested in her?” 

Daichi is mid-bite and chokes again, almost spitting projectile food across the table. He reaches for another swig of water. 

“Who? Me?” Ikejiri points to himself and chortles, “No, not at all. You three just seem so close! I just made assumptions.” 

Suga responds with slight humor in his tone, “ _Not at all, huh?_ What’s wrong with y/n-san? Not to your liking or something?" 

“No! That’s not it! Uh—” 

“Well, that’s okay. She doesn’t deserve someone who’s picky like that.” Suga turns to Daichi, “Can you believe it, Daichi? Ikejiri-san _won‘_ _t even_ _consider_ y/n-chan!” 

Daichi has now moved on to choking on water. He coughs and pounds on his chest, trying to clear his airway. 

“Wait! No! That’s not what I meant! I think she’s great, but—” 

“ _But?!_ You think she’s great, _but...?!_ Wow, you really have more to complain about her, huh?” 

Ikejiri goes slack-jawed, worry settling over his face. “I didn’t mean... I... I—” 

_“_ _Ahahaha_ _!”_ Suga pounds at the table and doubles over. Some surrounding people peek at all the noise coming from your table again, and Suga wipes a tear from his eye. ” _Haha_ , I’m sorry Ikejiri-san,” he continues laughing, “I'm just kidding! I didn’t mean it, but that was a lot of fun!” 

Ikejiri has his mouth hanging open, processing how Suga just played him. He turns to Daichi who has now recovered from his coughing fits. 

“Sorry, Suga’s a little much sometimes.” Daichi responds and gives Suga the side-eye. 

Ikejiri comes back from his uncharacteristic slack-jawed moment and his mouth eventually curves upwards, “So, you all are just close then?” 

A genuine, comfortable smile settles on Suga’s face and he sighs. “Yeah, I met y/n in college, and she’s great. She’s moody and annoying as hell,” he rolls his eyes, “but she’ll always be there for you.” 

Daichi’s expression softens and anyone can see the twinkle in his orbs as he spots you coming back to the table, “Yeah. She’s always there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me a little longer than usual, but I guess I finally got it figured out! I'm excited for the upcoming chapters, cause I feel I'm finally going to follow a clear outline for once! Hah! [Also, here's a fun lofi playlist I've been listening to while writing this.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2DodHXaTUE&list=UU9mFio7rXEgtRQAhoIeGAew&index=24)


	7. Fresh Spruce Evergreens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unfamiliar new faces come and go. And so do feelings. How do you know what you're supposed to do with them? How do you know if it will last?

Autumn’s warm hues greet you again as you step out of the restaurant. It’s a relatively chilly day, but the scarf around your neck and relaxed overcoat you’re wearing are enough to keep you warm. You wave goodbye to Ikejiri and Daichi who had other plans for the day, while Suga tags along with you for the afternoon. It’s an errand day, and you’re on a shopping quest to the sports store to get some new running shoes. You’ve put this off for so long and after seeing today’s volleyball game with everyone, it made you want to put more energy into the hobbies you do. 

The afternoon sun is lounging high up in the sky as you walk along the shop-lined streets with Suga. Fall is dancing in the air, and everyone’s wearing an extra layer of warmth. You tuck your hands into your coat pockets, trying to heat them up. 

“So, sports store, right? Which one are we heading to? I’m thinking of getting something too.” 

You take out one hand and open up your phone. “Yeah, I’m looking it up. I think we’re close.” you reply. Your cold fingers brush across the screen and zoom in on your tiny hand held map. One look and you see that you should take the next turn after crossing the street. You glance up, and the crosswalk sign turns green. You’re about to take a step until Suga quickly pulls your arm back, almost making you drop your phone. 

“ _Oi!_ Ow, what the hell?”— a bike suddenly rushes into view, a mere few inches away— a sudden inhale fills your throat. You definitely would’ve been roadkill if not for Suga’s quick reflexes. 

“Watch where you’re going, moron. Put the phone away when you’re crossing the street. You’re distracted enough as it is without that in your hand.” he chastises you. 

You tuck your phone back into your coat, “Okay, okay. Thanks, Suga-chan. I owe you one!” you chirp at him as you both start crossing the street. 

“You always owe me one.” 

“No, I don’t!” 

“How many times do you think you’d be dead by now if it weren’t for me?” 

“I don’t know… like five times? Six maybe? 

“No! More like sixty-seven!” Suga retorts back at you. 

“ _Tch._ Yeah right.” you roll your eyes and shake your head, trying to deny such a claim (he’s probably right, though). 

As you continue down the shop-lined street, racks of athletic wear and posters advertising the season’s bargains slowly come into view. The bright red neon store sign above the shop gleams as it catches a few sun rays. You’ve made it to your destination: the nearest sports store to the restaurant you just ate at with everyone. Peering through the large glass window, you immediately spot the rows of running shoes lining the back wall calling out your name. You rush in, making a beeline for it, and stop to stare at the selection. 

There’s a number of running shoes sitting on the racks– shoes in a variety of colors, designs and sizes stretching from wall to wall. Although you run leisurely, you’ve never really paid much attention to what type of footwear you’re supposed to be wearing. 

“Hello! Are you looking for something in particular, today?” a store employee calls out to you. She has chin-length glossy black hair with side-swept bangs. A beauty mark sits right by the corner of her mouth and dimples dot her upper cheeks as she flashes a bright smile that both blinds and charms you. 

_Wow, she’s SO pretty._ She’s one of those effortlessly beautiful people that you naturally feel too shy to talk to, and you blink a little dazed. 

You look back at the wall of shoes, “Oh, I’m just getting a new pair of running shoes today.” you squeak out. 

“Is there a certain brand you’re looking for?” 

“Um, I’m not sure. I kind of just use whatever shoes I have laying around since I haven’t been too serious about it...”– you scratch your head and give a sideways glance to her– “Though, I do feel like I should invest in a better pair!” 

Her smile radiates through and you feel embarrassingly starstruck, “How about let’s take a look at these…” 

She goes through various pairs and gives you a couple of them to try on. She seems to know a lot about running as she talks about what kind of shoes work best for your preferences. Her warm personality flows out in waves, eventually dissipating any last hints of nervousness you were carrying at first. 

Another customer calls out to her, and she tells you to come get her if you need anything. While nodding, you thank her for all the help so far and make your way to the metal bench in the middle of the aisle. You slide your feet into a pair and walk around for a bit, acquainting yourself with each shoe and wiggling your toes to feel the comfort. 

Suga pops his head out from one of the aisles and dangles two duffle bags, one in each hand. “Y/n-chaann, which one?” he sing-songs to you. 

You walk over to him and inspect the two. One of them is like his current sports bag, a simple black duffel rounded at the edges, while the other is the exact same kind, just in light gray. 

“Hm, I’m not sure…” 

“Okay, here. Take this.” Suga hands you the black duffel and slings the gray one across his body. You look at him questioningly as he proceeds to one side of the aisle. He starts to saunter down while exaggeratedly swaying his hips side to side, and when he gets to the end he pauses to turn around and look at his only audience. You start to laugh. Suga being his occasional flamboyant self that you’ve come to know the past few years strikes a pose as though he’s a model on the runway. His silliness makes you erupt in laughter. With one arm on his hips, he switches to the other and juts his hip to one side before eventually sashaying back to you. 

“ _Ahaha!_ Okay, okay. Next one.”— you hand him the black duffel this time. 

This second strut down the aisle makes you cackle even louder as he attempts being his true extra self in more ways than one. Suga would be the type who practices his model face in front of a mirror, and you just laugh at the thought of it. It doesn’t even register with you that you’re slowly turning into one of those public nuisances in the store, like a pair of teens causing commotion without buying anything yet. 

The same lovely store employee you were crushing on at first sight comes back to check on you, but then her direction turns straight to your faux model best friend who's still striking a pose or two. “Sugawara? Is that you?” 

Suga turns his head, recognizing the voice, “Shimizu?” 

Shimizu’s eyes light up as she steps towards the two of you, “Sugawara, it’s been so long!” 

Suga straightens up from his pose and laughs a little at the spectacle he’s been putting on. “It has been! How are you?” 

“Oh, nothing much. I work here now.” she gestures around the store and gets a glimpse of you again. “Oh right! How are the shoes fitting? Do you need another size?” 

“Uh, I’m okay! Thank you.”– you stare back and forth at the two– “Wait, so you know each other?” 

Shimizu giggles “We went to the same high school.” 

“Yeah! Shimizu was our team manager!” 

“Haha, yeah those were fun days! How are you? How is Daichi and Asahi?”– she wipes a stray strand of hair away from her face and you notice a sparkle sitting around her finger– “I’ll have to tell Ryu that I saw you today!” 

“I’m doing good! Just working as a teacher now, and Daichi and Asahi are doin– wait. Ryu? _You mean Tanaka?_ Are you two close now or something?” he laughs incredulously, remembering his kouhai’s lovesick tendencies. 

She giggles some more, her eyes squinting in amusement. Shimizu raises a hand and shows off her engagement ring. “Yes. We’re engaged.” 

A brief moment of silence ensues as you watch Suga’s jaw drop to the floor. 

_“HAH?”_ Suga’s eyes went round, and it could’ve flown out of its sockets. You snort at his bug-eyed demeanor and Shimizu joins in with a titter. 

“Yes. We’re engaged. We’re getting married pretty soon actually. We’ll definitely have to send you all an invitation!” she looks over to you and smiles. “And don’t worry! You’ll be able to bring a plus-one too so that your cute girlfriend can come.” 

Suga snaps out of his shocked state and his face deadpans. Your expression is just as blank as his as you try to process. The two of you simultaneously tilt your heads in confusion, like you’re part of some cheesy sitcom, and it makes Shimizu chuckle. 

You glance at Suga, “Wait, I didn’t know you had a girlfriend?” 

“I didn’t know I had one either.” 

The corners of Shimizu’s eyes crinkle even more as she tries to hide a laugh, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed! You two seemed so close earlier when you were trying on things.” 

Another confused silence fills the air while you and Suga slowly piece things together. 

“Wait, why are you saying sorry...?” Suga starts. 

“Huh? You assumed?” you ask. 

“I don’t have a girlfriend. Unless, you meant–” Suga trails off. 

“Did you think... me and him are dating?!” you exclaim at the same time. 

You slowly turn your head towards Suga and he does the same. _“AHAHAHA!”_ bellows of laughter come from the two of you as you both double over. You clutch your stomach and practically crouch to the ground while holding onto the bench for support. Suga is hugging his sides and throwing his head back, guffawing into the ceiling.

It’s undeniable. The pair of you are officially those rowdy customers that should be escorted away from any business establishment. 

Shimizu tries to calm the cackles down as she looks around, and you feel bad. You try to gain composure as quickly as possible. 

Suga continues on, and you smack his arm, “ _Hey. Shut up._ We’re going to get your friend in trouble.” you stare with eyes apologizing at the woman. 

Shimizu smiles genuinely at you, “I’m Shimizu, Kiyoko by the way.” 

“Hi, I’m y/n” you give a tiny smile back. 

* * *

Suga and you finally end that rambunctious shopping trip by paying at the register. You wave goodbye at Shimizu and she flashes her charming smile before you step out the door. The pair of you start walking back to the bus station, passing the shop-lined streets and feeling the crunch of the leaves underneath your soles. 

“Wow, Shimizu’s so pretty.” 

Suga nods, “She’s as beautiful as ever since high school.” 

You raise an eyebrow, “Ooh, sounds like someone’s in love,” you sing-song. “But that’s too bad, Suga-chan! She’s engaged!” 

_“To Tanaka!”_ he throws his head back in laughter. “Unbelievable!” he continues guffawing. “He's never given up on his love for her all this time! I guess if you try hard enough, love gets returned back eventually.” 

You scrunch up your nose, making a face. “Uh, _no_.” you huff. “I like to think that most women hate men who just keep on reaching as though they are entitled to eventually receive mutual feelings back.” 

Suga’s expression softens, admiring your steadfast opinionated self. He’s always liked that about you. He nods his head in agreement, “Haha, yes. You’re right. Boys should not expect their feelings to be returned just because they love someone so much.” He continues, “But... Tanaka would _never_ be that kind of guy, though. He seems more like the type who’d keep on working on himself to be worthy of your love.” 

The frown lines on your face loosen, and you simper at the romanticism of that thought. “Hmm, if that‘s the case, then he sounds like a great guy.” you remark. “But also, _what do I know_ about their relationship? I’m just assuming a lot of things here. I’m not the one who’s known them for years.” 

"Yeah,” he smiles reminiscently. “Shimizu’s changed a bit too. She seems happier.“ 

You tilt your head curiously but move on, “All of you went to the same high school, right? Along with Asahi-san and Daichi-san?” 

Suga’s smile broadens, “Yep! We were all on Karasuno’s volleyball team!” 

He gets all excited whenever he talks to you about this. You know you’re always in for a chockfull of stories whenever you bring up his beloved high school days playing volleyball. Suga gazes far away, instant memories drumming at his head, and he sighs. 

You peek into his cinnamon roll eyes as they soften like pillows. They were eyes that never wanted to forget the dreams that turned into reality when they were playing on those courts. Eyes that twinkled whenever it reminisced about warm memories of the past. 

* * *

A pair of luminous eyes stare back questioningly at Ikejiri. Deep chocolate orbs that matched the cup of coffee in his hands, “Wait. What do you mean I should figure it out?” Daichi asks innocently, curious eyes peering at his friend across the café table. 

Ikejiri sighs exasperatedly and throws his hands up in the air, “Your feelings for y/n-san!” 

Contrary to popular belief, Ikejiri can match Daichi with his serious and occasionally agitated demeanor. It's a rare sight, but today at the coffee shop, he’s had enough with his middle-school friend’s outright ignorance of his own feelings. A few weeks have passed since he first noticed how Daichi reacted when asked about whether y/n was dating anyone. His apparent flabbergasted nature was an unusual sight, and Ikejiri couldn’t help but wonder what he might be hiding. 

It started with the daily texts Daichi would send to him, asking if he thought it would be too much trouble to stop by his office and grab lunch with them. Ikejiri always welcomed the company, and he liked having his lively lunch break with you and Daichi. Whether it be eating homemade lunches in one of the city hall’s lounges or eating out at a nearby restaurant, the three of you often filled the air with laughter whenever you exchanged stories. 

Back then it didn’t seem like anything, but then Ikejiri started to notice the brief moments where Daichi would always offer y/n a piece of his bento. It started off small with just an extra piece of his tamagoyaki, but over time, Ikejiri started noticing that he’d add a few more of his sides to y/n’s lunch spread, like a rice ball or a croquette. Daichi would even bring y/n her favorite drink and sometimes even dessert! Whether it be a favorite pastry or the latest creation at the bakery she frequents, he would always have something for her.

Ikejiri wouldn’t classify offering food as a clear indicator of Daichi’s feelings, but then he’d also notice the minuscule traces of lovesick tomfoolery his friend would have. He sees it with the soft expression Daichi has whenever he looks at y/n or when he senses all of Daichi’s attention directed at her whenever she’s talking. He always seemed to laugh a little louder at her jokes, even when Ikejiri doesn’t quite get y/n’s odd humor at times. Ikejiri would even catch Daichi smiling with one arm holding up his head over the table whenever he turned to listen to her. A classic case of the lovesick fool that he is. But of course, Daichi is too dense to see it himself. 

“You’re so slow sometimes.” Ikejiri rolls his eyes.

“What are you talking about?” Daichi takes a sip of his coffee.

“ _Sigh_. I guess I need to spell it out for you” he pauses to look Daichi straight in the eye, “You like y/n-san.”

Daichi sputters out his drink and coughs, “I... _what?_ No I don’t!” 

“Yeah you do.”

“No I don’t!” Daichi’s voice gets a little higher.

“Yeah you do.” Ikejiri repeats.

“What are you saying? I’m just really good friends with her!”

Ikejiri nods his head, unamused. “Yeah. You’re such good friends that you ended up liking her.”

“I… I don’t…? “ Daichi trails off, a little bit unsure now.

Ikejiri sips from his coffee and continues staring at his dim-witted friend, unamused.

“Is that what it looks like?” 

A silent nod comes from Ikejiri with an _“I-told-you-so”_ kind of face plastered on.

“I like y/n-san…?” Daichi tests out those words while still questioning it. 

Ikejiri continues nodding.

“I like y/n-san.” He says it a little bit more firmly this time. 

It’s like he’s telling the little person in his brain to get used to that thought. A flash of memories run through Daichi’s head of all the times he’s had with her. All the spurts of laughter they’ve shared over the years; all the moments she’d randomly pop in his head in the middle of the day; how just thinking about her brings a smile to his face; how much he likes seeing her happily scarf down whatever treat he gives; how he makes sure to remember that she's that weird person who likes donut holes over donuts and muffins over cupcakes; and…

Daichi’s eyes widened in realization, his mouth ajar _“Oh my god, I like her.”_

Ikejiri’s unamused eyes have not left him, and he slowly claps his hands together for his friend who finally understands. “Took you long enough.”

Daichi’s mouth is still agape. He’s finally said what he’s never been able to admit to himself until now, and he looks at Ikejiri pleadingly, “What do I do?”

“Well, what do you want to do?”

“I… I don’t know. I just don’t want to ruin anything.”

“What’s there to ruin?” Ikejiri shrugs. “You two are close enough as it is, you think confessing your feelings is enough to break a friendship like that?”

Daichi pauses to consider and rolls the thought around his head. 

Ikejiri continues. “I’ve always thought that the people who think confessing to the other person could be the end of their friendship are just too afraid, you know? Like if it’s such a _meaningful_ friendship to begin with, _doesn’t it take more to break it?_ I mean, I’m sure it can be a little awkward for a bit, but that passes eventually just like anything else. At least you were being honest about your feelings.” 

Daichi smirks and shakes his head, “That’s so much easier said than done.”

Ikejiri chuckles, “Yeah, I know.” he admits. “But at least now you know you’re true feelings.”

“Thanks for making it more complicated for me!” Daichi grins sarcastically.

“You’re welcome!” Ikejiri chirps as he takes another sip.

Daichi drinks out of his cup as well “So… what now?”

“You’re clearly still stunned about this realization, so maybe you should think about it more before confessing.” Ikejiri looks at his watch and stands up. “I thought you’d have better reasoning skills than this, officer.” he chuckles.

Daichi snorts.

Ikejiri takes his coat off the chair and grabs his coffee cup, “I should get back to the office now cause I’ve taken _waaay_ too long of a break because of you.” he jokingly glares. “Y/n-san is going to scold me.”

“She wouldn’t do that.”

“Are you kidding? The woman you like is as strict as she is ditzy at times.”

“Don’t call her that!” Daichi’s eyes flash.

“She can be moody, but I guess you’re too in love to be turned off by that.” Ikejiri snickers, “It’s charming though. I can see why you like her.” he taps his friend’s shoulder. And with that he walks away, leaving Daichi staring at his back. 

He sips from his coffee once more and turns to gaze out the window. Barely any leaves are left hanging on the branches and the gray cloudy skies really make it seem like winter snow is approaching any time now. 

He wonders if you like the snow. He can imagine how pretty you would look with snowflakes attaching to your soft tresses and framing your lashes. He wonders whether he should even tell you his newfound feelings that he managed to stumble across with the help of a friend.

 _Sigh._ _Thanks a lot_ _, Ikejiri,_ Daichi chuckles and takes one more sip of his sweet coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Towards the end, I was trying to catch that feeling where you slowly realize that you like someone and you don't know what to do with yourself. Let me know how I did! I appreciate all the feedback and comments :3


	8. Mundane Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is repetitive: you work, you play, you eat, you sleep and then you do it all over again. Days can sometimes pass and you're not even sure what happened. But hopefully there's that one thing that keeps us going. Or that one person.

Daichi sits at the usual table by the windows, waiting for you to arrive at the coffee shop you two frequent before work. The increasingly chilly temperatures and cold slaps to the face by that furious wind this morning are enough to push him into the cozy café instead of waiting for you outside. He takes a sip of the bittersweet coffee and stares at his paper cup, swirling its contents while deep in thought.

_Should I tell her? How do I tell her? Maybe it’ll be too weird coming from me because we’ve been friends all this time…_

An audible sigh escapes his lips.

_But no, Ikejiri’s right though. The worst thing that could happen is that she just avoids me for a bit. Y/n would probably even think that I’m joking! She would just reject me and try to put the awkwardness away as fast as possible. Yeah! Maybe I should just tell her to get over this feeling, because I know she wouldn’t choose a guy like me because…_

_… well, what’s there to like?_

Daichi hears something move in front of him, and he looks up from his drink. You were pulling a chair out and plopping your bundled up self down in your seat. You made no effort to get out of your coat, despite how warm the café's temperature may be. 

“Damn, it’s getting really cold now isn’t it?” you take your hands out from your pockets and try to thaw the iciness by rubbing your palms together.

Daichi can see how red your fingertips are from the cold, and he stretches a hand out wanting to hold them and warm them up a bit. He catches himself though. 

_Shit, what am I doing? Don’t be so obvious!_

“Oh. Uh, yeah!” He tries to retract his arm smoothly by running a hand through his spiked hair while looking out the glass windows. The tips of his ears turn red from embarrassment.

“Look! Even your ears are turning red from the cold!” you giggle and reach over to tug playfully at Daichi’s ear. He feels your icy fingers and automatically catches your hand in his palm. His eyes widen and the rest of his face turns scarlet.

You just keep on giggling, “Haha, sorry! My hands are probably colder.”

“Oh, uh no… I mean yeah. But uh, it’s fine!” he stammers.

“This feels nice though. My hands are _freezing!_ ”

A confused look crosses Daichi’s face, and he realizes that he’s still holding onto your hand. He lets go of it in an instant as though he got electrocuted. His face flashes a deeper crimson, the redness of his ears spreading across his cheeks– he’s practically about to have a heart attack while you simply laugh unfazed by the physical contact.

“Ahaha! Did you have too much coffee today or something? You’re all jumpy.” 

Daichi turns his head away from you and covers his face. His hand is splayed out, trying to shield your view of the blush that is taking forever to settle down. He’s still looking away as he hands you one of the coffee cups on the table. “I got your coffee. Just black right? No cream or sugar?”

“Ooh, thank you! You didn’t have to!” you take a sip and relish the smell of your favorite caffeinated beverage. 

Your love-hate relationship with coffee is back to an all-time high now since you’ve been needing it every morning to get through your work days. “I’ll have to treat you to lunch sometime for all the coffee you keep on giving me!”

“No, it’s fine! I don’t mind doing this.”

“Well _, I mind._ What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t treat you out too!”

_Friend._

_She said “_ _friend."_ _She just sees me as a friend. Just a friend… yeah, there’s no need to ruin that… _

Ikejiri’s words thunder through Daichi’s head: _“I’ve always thought that the people who think confessing to the other person could be the end of their friendship are just too afraid, you know? Like if it’s such a meaningful friendship to begin with,_ _doesn’t it take more to break it?_ _”_

“Ah, shit.” he whispers under his breath.

“What? What’d I do? Okay, I’ll get you food _AND_ coffee next time! I owe you both, anyway.”

“Huh? No, that wasn’t for you.”

“Hm?” you look perplexed for a second, but you quickly return back to your cheery self. “Okay then,”— you flash a thumbs up at him— “it’s a date!”

Daichi doubles over his coffee, “A _date?!”_

“Gosh, okay! Do you want to start calling it a _‘meeting’_ then? So that you don’t get in trouble with work? Ikejiri’s been telling me that your superiors are wondering why you never have lunch at your own building"– you take another sip of your coffee– "maybe you should just tell them that you have lunch meetings!”

“Oh, uh yeah… you can call it whatever.” Daichi twiddles his thumbs, “I don’t mind the word _‘date’._ ” He says the last part so softly that you don’t even catch it.

“By the way, I can only stay for a little bit today. All this end-of-the-year paperwork has got me doing overtime; I thought coming in early might actually help me get it all done!” you put a small fist up in the air with a determined look in your face.

The corners of Daichi’s mouth turn upwards, “Well, you seem quite motivated.”

You let out a groan and sink into your chair, “I just can’t wait for this to be over!”

“You know we don’t have to get coffee all the time—”

“ _No." —_ you cut him off sharply, but then your face softens— “ _P_ _lease,_ I just… this is like one of the only things I still have control over, you know? I like my morning routines with you.” you sigh, eyes boring into his. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. Work is just….”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Daichi’s glowing like a kid being offered candy.

_She said she likes morning routines with me! She said she likes it— AHH!_

“Sorry, I keep on talking about work,” you shake your head trying to get out of it. You don’t notice how your friend is smiling like an idiot in love. “Tell me about you! I haven’t heard your stories in a while! How’s life? How’s work?— I mean, you don’t have to talk about work if it’s stressing you out too— How about volleyball? You always love talking about that just like Suga-san!”

Daichi’s chuckles, seeing how much you’re trying to steer the conversation away from yourself. A whisper of a smile settles on his lips as he thinks of how considerate you’re being despite how much he knows you want to rant about your job. You’ve been bogged down by the truckloads of work piling up, so he’s offered to only grab lunch with you nowadays instead of the usual early morning coffee. 

You deny his offer though, and he’s absolutely ecstatic by it. Ecstatic by the thought that you choose not to get an extra hour of sleep in exchange for coffee routines. Ecstatic that you’ve carved out time from your swamped schedule to _be with him._

_With him! No one_ _but him_ _!_

_Maybe it is okay to tell you that I like you?_

Daichi ponders on the thought while chatting with you until it was time to go back to that unfortunate place called “reality” (aka work). His head was drifting through the clouds, drunk on the moments he spends time with you. 

And you? Well, when reality’s calling, you cherish coffee cups and conversation with your friend too.

* * *

A titter escapes your lips as you send your text. Ikejiri, whose desk is right next to yours, catches you snickering at your phone and he leans over trying to sneak a glance. 

“Hmm, who you texting y/n-san?” he wiggles his eyebrows. “Your significant other? Boyfriend? Partner? Soon-to-be-partner? _Hmm_?” 

“Huh?” you scrunch your face and put your phone away. “Go away, go back to work you slacker.” 

“Oh? You just don’t want me to know then?” 

You wave him off dismissively while you train your eyes back to your computer screen, “You’re talking nonsense. I have work to do and so do you.” 

You ruffled-haired friend's watches you suspiciously, “Hm, _okaaay then._ ” and he turns back to his desk while whipping his phone out from his pocket. 

Ikejiri turns to glance at you with an eyebrow raised inquisitively. He knows Daichi is head over heels for you, but he guesses it’s time to figure out what you feel too. He makes a mental checkbox to snuff out whatever intel he can get to report back on for the sake of his lovesick childhood friend. 

* * *

It’s halfway through the evening, and the delicate glow of a half-crescent moon shines through your windows. A single table lamp luminates the living room as you lay sprawled out on your couch fast asleep.

_Bzzzt. Bzzzt._

Hm? 

_Bzzzt. Bzzzt... Bzzzt. Bzzzt._

You raise your head up from your throw pillow and reach over the coffee table to answer your phone. A familiar moron’s name pops up on your screen, and you hit the answer button.

“Yes?”

“Hey idiot, have you gotten the candles yet?”

“Hmm?” a yawn escapes your lips. “Candles? Yeah, I’m getting them this weekend,”— another yawn comes crawling out— “along with the balloons.”

“Is that a yawn? Did you _just_ wake up? _What are you doing?_ Don’t go messing up your sleep schedule again!”

“Shut up. _Yes, mom._ Stop overreacting,” you stick your tongue out at Suga and straighten up on your couch.

“Are you sticking your tongue out at me?” he asks, “Stupid. It’s not like I can see it.”

“It’s the thought that counts,” you huff out. “You guessed right though.”

He snickers into the phone, “What can I say? I’ve been stuck with you this long; I already know what to expect!”

“Uh huh. You're not stuck. Your annoying ass is just too attached to me. _Unfortunately._ ”

“Hah, yeah right. It’s more like the other way around.” Suga rolls his eyes. “Anyway, I placed an order on the cake already.”

Your expression brightens, “Strawberry shortcake this year, right?!”

He chuckles, “Yes, your favorite. And Asahi’s favorite too.”

“Daichi wouldn’t mind that flavor either, would he?”

“Nah, he’s not much of a sweets person anyway.”

“ _Psh._ He’s missing out.”

“More cake for us!” Suga replies, and you both chuckle. He looks over to the oven timer in his apartment, “Hey, I’ve gotta go. My banana muffins are almost done.”

You excitedly lean into your phone while hugging a pillow, “Ooh! Can I have some?”

“Yeah, I’ll bring some tomorrow," he shuffles to the kitchen. "But eat a proper dinner first! Taking naps after work messes you up!”

“ _Gosh, okay._ I got it. I’m not the same workaholic college student you know?”

“Yeah, uh huh,” he crouches right next to the oven window. “And don’t get coffee with Daichi tomorrow! You need the extra sleep!”

“Yeah, yeah. I wasn’t planning on it anyway. I told him I’m dying the rest of this week and can only meet up for lunch.”

“Good.” Suga watches the muffins intently.

“Okaay, well see ya!”

“Mhm, bye-bye!” 

“Don’t forget to bring the banana muffins!”

“I won’t!”

“No need to watch them too hard, haha!”

“ _Tch._ Shut up. Bye!”

And the oven timer goes off, right on cue. Suga takes the baking pan and leaves it out on the countertop to cool off. He counts off the number of muffins he knows you’ll need after this grueling work week. They're banana chocolate chip muffins, your favorite, and he made sure to add extra chocolate chips for your sake.

* * *

A few nights later, Daichi and Suga return back to Suga’s apartment to have a couple of beers after their long work days. His place is just as tiny as yours, but he keeps it a little neater. Since the New Year is coming up, Suga’s virtually already finished his end-of-the-year cleaning (not that he needs much of it to begin with), and he’s already set aside time in his schedule to go over to your place to tidy up. Being a clean freak is another quirk of his. You didn’t even have to beg him to help you.

After all, the two of you _are_ planning that surprise party on the 31st for Daichi and Asahi at your apartment. It’s honestly not a “surprise” anymore at this point, since you celebrate it every year Asahi comes back from Tokyo for the holidays. But nonetheless, it gives you a reason to celebrate the new year all together.

Suga grabs two cans of Sapporo from the fridge and he hands one to Daichi, “So what are you up to this weekend?”

Daichi cracks open the can and sits on a dining chair, “Not much. You?”

“Same.” Suga sits across from him.

“I guess, this is how it goes then. You know, work life.”

Suga snickers, “Hah, yeah I guess,” he grabs a couple of notebooks and binders from his bag and sets them on the table “But at least I’ve got ‘adult’ money now!”

Daichi snorts back a laugh and takes a drink of his beer.

Suga smirks and looks down at his notes. He takes a sip of his own can of Sapporo while preparing for his lesson plan the next day. 

A comfortable silence floats in the air while he works, and Daichi ends up staring at the bookcase behind him. It’s a short white shelf housing several of Suga’s favorite novels, but what catches Daichi’s eye is one of the picture frames sitting atop: it’s a photo of all four of you on graduation day. Suga and you were in your jet black robes, diplomas at hand and pink cherry blossoms dancing in the background. Daichi couldn’t help but admire the memory, a gentle smile gracing his features as he sees your face in glee.

Suga, on the other hand, was busy being the overachieving teacher that he is who still manages to bring some work back home. He often complains about the kids, but he actually enjoys teaching them the best way he can. He’s intently jotting notes down while refining his lesson plan when Daichi interrupts him.

“So uh, Suga?”

His laborious friend continues on and doesn’t look up, “Hm?”

“I’m uhh… I’m thinking of confessing to y/n on my birthday.” he drums his fingers nervously around his beer can, “What do you think?” 

Suga continues to diligently review his papers and nods in agreement, “Sounds good to me,” he says absentmindedly while scribbling across his notes. It’s not too long before he slowly metabolizes Daichi’s words. _“WAIT, WHAT?_ ” Suga whips his head up and exclaims.

“Yeah. I finally figured out why I’m such a jittery mess around her all the time,” he smiles and reminisces while still looking at the photo. “I like her, Suga. _I really do_.” 

Suga’s stomach clenches a little, a small knot forming. A sudden weight starts to ride his shoulders. 

Daichi looks at him, “What do you think? I mean, it won’t be too out-of-the-blue, right? We have been spending more time alone together, and it just... I don’t know. It just… it feels nice.” he sighs.

Suga watches Daichi’s eyes sparkle, and he can see how much his best friend cares about you. It almost made him happy. 

_Almost._

Because with that happiness, also came a new and weird feeling. A surprising and unfamiliar emotion. He doesn’t understand it, so he quickly tucks it away. 

A faint smile struggles to come out, “I’m happy for you, Daichi. I hope... she feels the same way.” the knot in Suga’s stomach clenches a little tighter. He wonders whether he ate something spoiled earlier. 

Daichi drinks the rest of his beer, “Well, I better head out now. It’s getting late.” he rises from his seat and throws his can into the recycling. “Thanks for tonight, Suga. I feel better knowing that you approve.” 

Suga tilts his head to the side and looks at him questioningly, “Approve?” 

“Yeah. Approve.” Daichi nods, “I mean, you’re practically one of y/n’s closest friends! Like a brother! No wait, sometimes a _mom!_ ” he guffaws and throws his head back. “You two are together all the time, I knew I needed your ‘blessing’ or something.” 

Suga chuckles half-heartedly, still unsure why those words were itching at him. The words: ‘ _friend’, ‘brother’, ‘mom’_ (wtf, Daichi). 

He trains his eyes back to his lesson plan, words slowly getting muddled up in his brain, "Yeah, yeah. Okay.” Suga waves Daichi off, “Get outta here. I still have so much to go through.” 

And with that, Daichi greets him good night and exits through the door, leaving a distracted Suga trying to stare intently at his work.

None of the words were making sense anymore, though. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been waiting to write this chapter since inspiration hit me so randomly a couple of weeks ago. It was one of those moments where you had to type the words down before it leaves you.  
> [ Here's a another lofi playlist (i think the title really fits this chapter, hehe)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyEnUHMvRs8)


End file.
